Resurrection
by armless-phelan
Summary: A new student transfers to Balamb Garden. But where she goes, bad things follow. TW Rape, graphic violence, homophobia
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Doctor Birkin!" screamed the little girl when she saw her bloody body. Any other girl her age would've thought she was sleeping, but this girl knew better. She saw the pale face and blank eyes and recognized death.

The girl had been hiding in the Umbrella Laboratory's security office when a woman named Claire had shown up with another girl, Sheri. The girl had known Sheri for as long as she could remember. Their parents worked together in pharmaceuticals and the girls were in daycare together. However, when the outbreak began all top Umbrella personnel had been evacuated to the labs.

All that remained of Raccoon City was burnt-out cars, abandoned buildings, and the walking dead. Dotting the landscape of the once picturesque backwoods burg was the occasional survivor. Either holed up and hiding in attics or armed to the teeth and fighting to get out, the survivors were far outnumbered and knew that their days were few.

However, the eight-year-old screaming the name of the woman that had kept her safe for so long was on the verge of hysterics when another woman, an Asian woman in a red cocktail dress, scooped her up and ran to an elevator.

"It's okay," the woman whispered in the girl's ear. "We're going to get out of here, don't you worry."

Confused, the girl settled down as the woman ran through room after room littered with inanimate bodies of the dead, among other things. The woman ran into a room and kicked the door shut. She set the girl down and locked the door.

They were in what appeared to be sleeping quarters, like a college dormitory. There were dirty clothes thrown all over the room and a big poster of a woman in a small bathing suit graced one of the walls. The woman set the girl down and ran a hand through her short hair.

"How did you make it this long, kid?" the woman asked.

"My mommy told me to stay in Philip's office," the little girl said quietly. "I stayed in there forever, but my mommy never came back. Then this big girl showed up with Sheri. I got scared and ran away."

"Sheri Birkin?" the woman asked. The little girl nodded her head and pulled at a loose thread on her shirt. Her mother had put it on her more than a week earlier.

"Well, I'm Ada," the woman said with a look at the door. "What's your name?"

"Alex," the girl answered. Alex looked at Ada and saw that the woman was holding her shoulder and wincing painfully. Then Alex noticed the large bloodstain that the woman had left on her shirt. "Where's my mommy?"

An awkward look crossed the woman's face. "I think your mom's dead."

"Oh," Alex said glumly.

"I guess this is it," Ada said sadly. "I wish I could've gotten out of here with the Virus, but that stupid Leon…"

"Who's Leon?" Alex asked with a look at Ada. She saw that the woman's eyes were shining in the dull emergency lights. However, before Ada could answer, the door burst open and the undead began shuffling into the room.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

"It's so big!" Tessa whispered as she looked around. At sixteen she was one of the younger transfers to Balamb Garden. The large building was a pseudo-dome that was painted white with a blue trim that looked as though it ran the span of the entire building.

The grounds of the Garden were home to hundreds of species of plants, some miniscule weeds and others large trees that loomed high over the ground, their leafy branching spreading wide and casting friendly shade for the students to lounge under.

Tessa held her suitcase at her side and crossed the courtyard to the administration building. She'd read in a book about the history of the various Gardens that the Balamb Garden she was at was actually the second Balamb Garden. There was another one that could fly and sail, but it had been given to the students at Trabia Garden because its Garden had been struck with missiles during the most recent Sorceress War. In fact, Squall, the SeeD that had defeated the Sorceress Ultimecia, was the one that had convinced Balamb Garden's headmaster, Cid, to turn the mobile Garden over to the students of Trabia.

Tessa was hoping to get a glimpse of Squall, because her best friend Liana had said that he still lived and operated out of Balamb Garden. She was excited mostly to be in a big Garden, because her last one had been home to only a few dozen SeeDs and a couple hundred students.

Tessa stopped outside the gatehouse, the one that stood outside the administration building, and set her suitcase down. She peered through the window and saw a man snoozing. He looked tall, well built, and his hair was blonde. He was wearing jeans, a blue shirt, and a long tan coat that stretched from his shoulders to his ankles. He also had a nice face with the exception of a scar between his eyes. His nameplate simply read Seifer. Tessa rapped on the glass and the man awoke with a snort.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked irritably. Tessa felt his eyes travel up and down her body before he gave a tired shrug.

"Um, I'm supposed to check in with the headmaster. I just transferred here from Lotia Garden," Tessa said nervously. Right away she didn't like this man, this Seifer.

"And why should I care?" he asked. Tessa squinted to see his face because of a sudden glare on the glass. "Fuck! Hold on!"

Seifer jumped out of his seat and opened the door to the gatehouse and dashed out of it. Tessa turned and watched his progress, watching as he began chewing out an underclassman that had just used a Fire spell.

He grabbed the kid by the scruff of the neck and drug him back to the gatehouse. "You know you're not supposed to use magic outside of class or the training facility. You're on cleaning detail in the cafeteria for a week."

"Yes, Sir," the boy grumbled before skulking off. Seifer smirked and narrowed his eyes, all but ignorant of Tessa's existence.

"Excuse me," Tessa spoke out again. "But could you help me?"

"Sure, what do you need?" Seifer asked with a yawn.

"I need to see the headmaster," Tessa said as a female student in a tight civilian outfit walked by.

"Huh?" Seifer asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the passing girl.

" I NEED TO SEE THE HEADMASTER!" Tessa screamed. She was irritated that she had had to repeat herself three times for the security guard.

"Why didn't you say so?" Seifer said flippantly. He jerked his thumb in the direction of the administration building. "He's that way."

"Thanks," Tessa said sarcastically. She made to pick up her suitcase but Seifer kicked it out of her reach.

"This stays with me. I need to check it for contraband. You must have come from some real backwater Garden to not know the drill," he said with a sneer.

"Whatever," Tessa said with a flick of her wrist. "I have an appointment."

---

The administration building held a design similar to that of the main building of the Garden. The only major difference was the size. Tessa wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and nervously formed fists as she walked up to the door.

She unclenched her right hand and pulled open the large glass entrance door. The stiflingly warm air hit Tessa in the face and caused her eyes to water. Blinking away some of the moisture, she made her way to the reception desk.

The desk was untidy, covered with papers, manila folders, and the like littered the surface. There were several empty cups of coffee and candy wrappers in and around the wastebasket. Sitting behind the desk was a pretty brunette woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"I'm here to see Headmaster Cid," Tessa said as she stood at the desk.

"Antessence Matleo?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Tessa said with an eye roll. She hated her name with a passion.

"Right through that door," the woman said with a point to her left. Tessa followed the gesture and saw a plain wooden door she hadn't noticed when she had come entered.

"Thanks," Tessa said with a bow of her head. She walked to the door and knocked. She heard a grunt followed by the shuffling of papers.

"Come in," a breathless voice called out.

Tessa grabbed the knob and turned it. She heard the click signifying that it was open and pushed. The door creaked open to reveal an office completely unlike that of the reception area. Everything was so neat and sterile, nothing was hanging loose and the desk was completely devoid of paperwork. It made Tessa feel even more apprehensive.

"Hello, Antessence," the man named Cid Kramer said.

Tessa recognized him from his pictures in the books at the Lotia Garden library. He was slightly heavy, a brunette, and wore wire-rimmed glasses.

"Hello, Headmaster," Tessa said. She saluted, unsure of what to do in such a situation. She'd never met with her previous headmaster, so she didn't know any etiquette.

"Sit down," he said, indicating a plush chair in front of his desk. Tessa sat down and looked at her feet. "I don't usually do this, but you're a special case."

"Pardon me, Sir?" Tessa said with a quizzical look and tone.

"I normally don't meet with my students when they join the garden, but you are a special case," Cid told Tessa.

"What is it, Sir?" Tessa asked. She felt her mouth go dry.

"I don't want to drudge up those memories just yet, but I figured I'd break with protocol and let you know that you could come to me with any problems," Cid told her.

"Okay," Tessa said awkwardly. "Thank you, Sir."

"No problem," Cid said happily. "I'll just have one of the SeeDs, Xu, show you to your dorm."

The conversation fell and silence quickly filled the room. Uncomfortable, Tessa stood up and walked to the door. "Goodbye, Sir."

"Goodbye, Antessence."

---

"You must be Antessence," a tall, leggy brunette said. She had a round, alabaster face and wore her hair down around her shoulders. She wore her SeeD uniform well, the black fitting her taut body and the gold stripes accentuating her ample bosom.

"Xu?" Tessa asked. She was clearly in awe of the fact that so many of the students and SeeDs at Balamb Garden were highly attractive.

"Yes, I'm to take you to your dorm, Antessence," Xu said dully. Her attitude seemed to contrast sharply with her looks.

"It's Tessa," she corrected. "Antessence is far too formal for my taste, Ma'am."

"Ma'am? Am I that old?" Xu said contemplatively. "No, I'm only 25."

Tessa rolled her eyes. Adults were so obsessed with looking young. When she got older she wouldn't need to do that.

"Oh, right, your dorm," Xu said in a distracted way. She turned on her heel and walked away.

Following as quickly as she could, Tessa stopped long enough to grab her suitcase as they passed the gatehouse. Seifer made to jump out of his chair until he saw that Tessa was with a SeeD. Tessa watched as he slumped back in his chair, and the last vision she had of him before turning back to Xu's retreating form was Seifer grumbling inaudibly.

They reached the entrance to the main building of the Garden and Xu made a gesture for Tessa to wait. Tessa held her suitcase handle with both hands while Xu talked with the old man at the entrance counter. Xu made some half-hearted gestures in Tessa's direction while talking to the guy.

He peered over Xu's shoulder and squinted his eyes to look at Tessa. All Tessa could tell was that he only added to the number of wrinkles on his wizened face.

The old man shrugged and handed something to Xu who seemed to reluctantly take it. She walked back to Tessa and held out her hand. In it was a keycard; black and gold like the SeeD uniform. On it was a series of numbers embossed in dull silver.

"That's your passport here. You don't leave, you don't enter, you don't eat in the cafeteria, and you don't check out book from the library without it," Xu said with a yawn. "If you lose it, then it's a hundred Gil for a new one, so I'd keep track of it if I were you.

"Also, you have to go to the Quad to pick up your uniform. If you ever get lost, there's a directory in the lobby. Now let's go find that dorm room of yours."

Xu led Tessa through the metal detector (Tessa read that it had been installed with the rebuilding of the Garden at the request of parents, even though it always went off whenever students and SeeDs carried their weapons into the building.)

They passed the directory, which Tessa easily noticed. It was rather large and seemed to be a gathering place for girls who were playing the Triple Triad card game. Tessa had never gotten into it, considering it to be childish indulgence.

Next came the library, which Xu pointed out. She explained in a droning voice about how there weren't that many books available since most of the books had gone with the old Garden to Trabia garden. However, there was an excellent Internet connection.

_We didn't have the Internet available for student use back at Lotia Garden!_ Tessa thought with excitement.

Next on the brief "tour" was the training centre, but Xu didn't talk much about it. All she said was that there were homegrown monsters in it.

"Here's the parking lot. The only time we use the vehicles is for faculty and exams, though. If students, and this also applies to SeeDs, wish to go to Balamb; they have to walk the trail. Don't worry; it's completely devoid from monsters. They tend to avoid heavily populated or heavily traveled areas."

They walked a little further and stopped outside a pair of double doors. "Here's the dorms, and that door," Xu said as she pointed a little further down, "leads to the cafeteria."

"Which room is mine?" Tessa asked.

"Hove me your key card," Xu said with a sigh. Tessa pulled it out from her pants pocket and handed it to Xu. Xu looked at the numbers and handed the card back to Tessa. "You're in room 32E."

"Thanks," Tessa said. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah right," Xu said as she walked away.

Tessa looked at her key card and followed the numbers painted above the dormitory doors until she found 32E. She reached out and turned the knob, pulling the door open.

Right away she was met with a girl of about her age that was sitting at a little table and writing furiously. The girl looked up and Tessa saw that her dark face had traces of acne and that she was wearing glasses. Her hair was in dreadlocks and the beads clicked with every movement. Relieved to see someone that looked like they didn't belong in a movie, Tessa let out a long breath.

"You must be the new girl, I'm Latasha," the girl said with a smile that revealed a set of white teeth. Tessa was afraid to return the smile because her teeth were yellowed from three years of smoking, even though she'd given cigarettes up over six months before transferring.

"Hi, Latasha, I'm Tessa," the girl replied.

"I have the room on the left, just so you know," Latasha said. "Otherwise, make yourself at home."

"Sure thing," Tessa said. She went ahead and smiled despite her misgivings. Latasha didn't seemed to notice, which set Tessa at ease.

She walked to the empty room. It was sparse, containing only a bed and desk, in addition to a solitary window with over the bed. The bed had a single pillow, sheets, and a thin blanket. She set her suitcase down on the floor and walked to the bed. She sat down and ran her fingers along the bedspread. The fabric smoothly slid between her fingers. She thought it felt light and assumed it was because of Balamb's traditionally warm yearlong climate.

"Exciting, isn't it?" Tessa heard someone say. She turned around and saw Latasha standing in the doorway, her arms crossed. "I remember when I first arrived at the Garden; I was ten. They stuck me in this dorm with a girl named Joanne. She graduated at the last exam and is now serving in Dollet."

"I…" Tessa said speechlessly.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Everyone does, eventually," Latasha said. "I'm majoring in firearms, you?"

"Medical," Tessa told her proudly. "Bur I also study hand-to-hand extra-curricular."

"Sure," Latasha said with a shrug. "But don't forget to pick up your uniform before you start classes tomorrow. I have to go, Professor Aki will kill me if I'm late."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

The Quad was surprisingly empty. Tessa had figured that a Garden the size of Balamb would have a bustling recreational centre, but she saw almost nobody.

There was a small stage, the portable metal kind with a white backdrop. In the centre of the stage two boys were trading lines that Tessa recognized were from "I Want to be a Canary." Off to the side, sitting on the very edge of the stage, was a woman in a SeeD uniform who was holding an acoustic guitar. Sitting next to her was a young man in a student uniform. Every so often he would take the guitar from the SeeD and correct a mistake she had made.

Next to the stage was a concession stand. It was manned by a bored-looking youth who looked as though he couldn't keep his eyes open. Tessa approached him with her keycard in hand, hoping she was in the right place.

The man was wearing a cowboy hat low over his eyes. He had long, brown hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. Tessa could see a hint of stubble on his chin and in his left earlobe he sported a hoped earring. Over a taupe shirt he wore a tan duster with fringes.

"Hmm?" he said when Tessa reach the stand. He tipped his hat back to reveal a handsome face with high cheekbones and dark brown eyes. The eyes traveled up and down Tessa's body appraisingly, which gave Tessa a cold feeling in her bones. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the counter. "What can I do for ya, Lil' Missy?"

Tessa almost laughed at his bad accent. She found the whole cowboy shtick rather hilarious, but rather enjoyed his flirting.

"Ya here to see, Moi?" he asked with a grin that showed his white teeth. He jerked a thumb in the direction of the girl with the guitar. "'Cause I'm taken."

"I need a uniform," Tessa said with a giggle. "Student, not SeeD."

"Y'know," he said as he lifted his feet and plopped them on the counter, "we had different uniforms at Galbadia Garden."

"Oh, you transferred here after the Sorceress Edea took control of Galbadia Garden?" Tessa said awe. Her eyes grew wide and her interest piqued.

"Something like that," he said with a wave of his hand. "Now, let's see what we can put on that cute little figure of yours." He winked and formed a pistol with his fingers, which he aimed at her.

"My ID number is CL99F-5," she said, trying to be helpful.

"Actually, it's another set of numbers I need," he said as he fired his imaginary gun at her.

"I'm an eight," she said with a glance at the guitar-girl.

He winked and dove beneath the counter. Tessa could hear the scratching of cardboard on concrete and assumed that there were boxes through which he was pawing. He reappeared a minute later with a skirt and shirt encased in plastic.

"Actually, I meant that I'm an eight in _men's_ clothing," Tessa said with a laugh and a slap to her forehead. "Sorry about that."

"Huh?" he said, his accent momentarily faltering. Then he seemed to catch himself and tried to cover it up with an extra thick accent. "Why would a purdy thang like you need to go and wear men's clothes?"

"I think skirts are a symbol of the division between the sexes. That's why I never wear them," Tessa said. She lifted up her leg and showed him her pants for emphasis. "Feminism 101"

"Well, rules are rules. Sorry, Missy, but it's a skirt for you. Now, what's your real size?" he said with a tip of his hat. Tessa merely rolled her eyes. She had encountered such backward thinking before at Lotia Garden.

"No, they're not. I consulted the rule book before coming here, and it does not state anything about uniforms being specifically for one sex," Tessa said with a flick of her hair and a wink back. The cowboy grinned but tried to hide it. She could tell that he loved the confrontation.

"Still, I don't think I should let such a purdy thang as you hide yer body," he said.

Tessa could feel herself growing annoyed. She slammed one hand, open-palmed, on the counter and grabbed his shirt with the other. She pulled his face up to hers with surprising strength. Snarling, she growled: "I want my pants, you stupid hick." Then Tessa pushed him back into his seat.

His eyes were wide and his face pale with fear. Tessa was mentally patting herself on the back when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Tessa turned around and saw the girl that had been playing the guitar.

She was a brunette and wore her hair with the ends spread out and slightly curved. Her skin was pale and her nose was oddly angled, like it had been broken some time before. She had green eyes that grew fiery and glared into Tessa's own.

"Keep your hands off of my man," the girl said was a shove at Tessa. "You have to go through me before you can get to him."

"You can keep the pig," Tessa said with a shove back. "He was the one flirting with me."

"Right, then why did YOU grab his shirt?" The girl said with the accompaniment of another push. Tessa stumbled a bit but stayed upright. "Everyone thinks that because he's Galbadian he must be a flirt, but he's not."

"Please," Tessa retorted with a roll of her eyes. "He's not a flirt because he's Galbadian, he's a flirt because he's a man."

"Just back off, okay?" the SeeD said with a ferociousness in her voice that Tessa had only heard once before, though she couldn't remember when. "He's MINE, and you'd better remember that."

"All I need is my uniform, and I'll be on my way," Tessa said. The cowboy shoved something in Tessa's hand. Without thanking him, she took the package and walked away.

Tessa was halfway across the Quad before she looked at the outfit in her grasp. He had given her the women's outfit! Forming a fist with her free hand and tightening her grip on the uniform, Tessa turned around and resolutely marched back to the cowboy.

"I said I was a size eight in _MEN'S_!" she yelled as she threw the package in his face. "Now give me my goddamn uniform so I can get the hell out of here!"

"You don't talk to him like that!" the SeeD yelled angrily. She had returned to her previous perch on the stage, but now she stood on it. The SeeD began to run, and when she reached the edge she dived off of it and tackled Tessa.

"Get off of me, you stupid bitch!" Tessa yelled as she took her clenched hand and punched the SeeD in her face.

"Get off my man!" the SeeD yelled back as she took a handful of Tessa's hair and pulled as hard as she could. Tessa felt several strands come loose.

Tessa painfully reared her head back and butted the other woman's head, with momentarily stunned the SeeD. Using the fraction of a second she had, Tessa brought as much of her knee as she could into the SeeD's ribcage. But before she could do anything else, the SeeD had her hands around Tessa's neck.

Tessa could feel her lungs filling with stale air as she struggled to breathe and tore uselessly at the SeeD's hands. The SeeD had received infinitely more training and probably been on numerous missions. Gathering what wits she had, Tessa unclenched her hand and rammed her jagged fingernails into the soft flesh of the SeeD's exposed side.

The SeeD released her grip, but Tessa felt another pair of hands wrap themselves around her. She watched as the cowboy restrained his girlfriend while the stranger did the same to her.

Tessa struggled for a few seconds before giving up and calming down. She took in short, sharp breaths that cut her lungs. She held up her hands as a sign of peace and the person let her go. The cowboy, on the other hand, was forced to drag away his girlfriend with the help of the guitar guy. The two guys on the stage merely exchanged goofy glances, clearly aroused by the fight that they had just been witnesses to.

_Men are stupid_, Tessa thought angrily.

"You may want to watch yourself around Selphie, she pretty experienced. If she'd have had a GF junctioned, you would've been toast," the stranger that had restrained her said.

Tessa turned around found herself staring at woman that looked vaguely familiar, like she'd met her before. The woman was wearing civilian clothing, like Tessa, but she gave off a feeling of warmth and tenderness. Her hair was black and hung loosely around her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and her face was as delicate as a porcelain doll. She wore a necklace with a ring, which was shaped like the head of a monster that Tessa had never before seen, on it. In her left hand was a band of leather, which was attached to a chain that was connected to a dog at the woman's side.

"Selphie?" Tessa said shock. "Selphie Tilmitt?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't know," the woman said a laugh. "Let's get you to Cid, it'll save time and make you look better if you go before being summoned. Come on, I'll walk you there."

"Thanks," Tessa said, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had just been fighting one of the people that had saved the world from the clutches of a crazed Sorceress from the future.

The strange woman was talking about nonsense topics when something else occurred to Tessa. They'd just passed the infirmary when it struck her.

"If that was Selphie Tilmitt I was just fighting, does that mean that the guy in the cowboy getup was…"

"Yeah," the woman said with a laugh, "that was Irvine Kinneas, marksman extraordinaire. He fancies himself as a ladies man, but Selphie freaks out whenever another girl so much as brushes his arm as they walk through the halls."

"I can't believe I got into a fight with Selphie Tilmitt over Irvine Kinneas refusing to give me my requested uniform," Tessa groaned as she shook her head in disbelief. "I called him a stupid hick!"

"Hey, good for you," the woman said with a full-throated laugh as they stopped for the dog to scratch around and sniff at several potted plants in the Garden's lobby. "He has been a pain in the ass for who knows how long. I feel like slapping him every time I see him."

"Cheer up, Cid won't think too lowly of you. He's been doing this for a lot of years, and now that Edea is running Trabia Garden… well, he's less preoccupied than I hear he used to be," the woman told Tessa.

"Wow," Tessa said admirably as they strolled across the Garden Grounds. She was so interested in what the woman had to say that she didn't notice the people gawking at her. "You really know a lot. Do you know them?"

"I should," the woman said with another laugh. "I fought Ultimecia alongside them."

"Then you're…" but Tessa couldn't finish her sentence. She pointed at the woman's dog and spoke in a quiet whisper. "And that's…"

"You guessed it!" the woman said excitedly. She offered Tessa a friendly handshake, which Tessa shook a little too enthusiastically. "I'm Rinoa Heartilly and this my buddy, Angelo."

Tessa stopped walking and squatted to Angelo's eye-level. She reached out and felt his matted fur, and then she started to scratch under his muzzle.

"He's amazing," Tessa said in awe. Now that the woman had been revealed as Rinoa Heartilly, Tessa could understand how she was able to pull her and Selphie apart. However, she was also a little scared to be in the presence of an actual Sorceress. "How old is he?"

"He's six," Rinoa said with a little awe herself. "When most people learn about us, they focus solely on me and ignore him."

"I would never do that," Tessa said as Angelo licked her face. "I love animals, especially dogs and cats. At my old Garden my roommate and I had a pet snake. She kept it, though."

"Old Garden?" Rinoa said sadly. "You're one of the Galbadia or Trabia refugees? I'm sorry for your loss."

"No," Tessa said quickly as she moved up to scratching behind Angelo's ears. "I transferred from Lotia Garden, today's my first day at Balamb Garden."

"Oh," Rinoa said with a curious look. "It's your first day and already you've gotten into a fight, insulted a man over clothes, and met three famous people. Man, Seifer is going to love you."

"The security guard by the Administration Building?" Tessa asked with an eyebrow raised. She stood back up and they continued on their way to the headmaster

"You've met him then," Rinoa said. "So you'll agree that he's… colourful?"

"Sure," Tessa said with a shrug as they walked out of the entrance doors. The sunlight hit her eyes fiercely and when she lifted her hands to block it she realized just how much pain she was in.

"Are you okay?" Rinoa asked when she saw Tessa's wincing face.

"Yeah, just a little sore," Tessa said as she slowly lowered her arms. She watched as two girls stood under a tree while whispering and pointing at Tessa. She was suddenly aware of her appearance. "Can we just go?"

The two women walked the rest of the way in silence, Angelo staying by Tessa's side. From time to time she would reach down and scratch his head and he would whine when she didn't. Before she knew it, Tessa found herself in front of the security shack.

"Hey, wake up!" Rinoa yelled. She put her hands on her hips and kicked the paneling on the side of the small building. Seifer roused and gave Rinoa a dirty look.

"What do you want?" he asked bitterly. He narrowed his eyes and Tessa swore she could hear him grinding his teeth.

"She needs to see Cid," Rinoa yelled. She put her hand on the small of Tessa's back and pushed her to where Seifer could get a better view. "Let her through."

"Yeah, yeah," Seifer said with a flourish of his left hand. "Go on through and leave me alone."

"Good luck!" Rinoa said cheerfully with a slap on Tessa's back. She winced but Rinoa didn't notice. Tessa watched as Rinoa walked away, Angelo trotting at her side.

"Hey, move it already," Seifer yelled from behind Tessa, causing her to jump. She nodded and walked by.

_The idiot should be castrated_, Tessa thought angrily as she walked into the Administration building for the second time that day.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"Ladies, I expected better of you," Cid said with a drop of his head. Tessa watched as he rubbed his temples. Those two simple actions had made her sense of righteousness disappear and guilt filled their place.

"Sir," Selphie said urgently, not even bothering to look in Tessa's direction. "Sir, I was provoked."

Cid looked up at Selphie with a look of annoyance. "Miss Tilmitt, just because she was flirting with Mr. Kinneas is not enough provocation to justify your actions."

"Sir, I was not flirting with him," Tessa interjected, but Cid gave her a disconcerting look that shut her up. She folded her arms across her chest and glowered back at him, though.

Cid ignored her and turned back to Selphie. "Listen, you are a SeeD, and that means that you are still under my jurisdiction as long as you're still at this Garden. Don't even try, I've heard it too many times," he said with a hand raised to silence Selphie. "Just because you were in the party that defeated Ultimecia does not mean that you get special privileges. In fact, it actually puts you in the position of role model, which you should take seriously."

Selphie's face just grew red and Tessa would've smirked if she weren't so afraid of Cid reprimanding her even more harshly than he was bound to.

"Now, you're free to go, but you have to report to the Disciplinary Committee tomorrow at 700 hours," Cid said with a wave of his hand. Both women stood to leave, but Cid held his hand up again. "Antessence, I would like for you to stay here a while longer, we've yet to discuss your role."

Tessa sat back down and glared at Selphie as she walked by. Selphie mouthed "Antessence?" and gave a self-satisfying smile. Tessa was tempted to respond, but thought better and turned back to Cid. He waited until Selphie had closed the door to speak.

"Miss Matleo, I'm concerned. It's only your first day here at Balamb Garden, and you're already fighting. I hope this isn't a pattern of behaviour, but action still needs to be taken. However, I will give you the chance to explain, to me, how it started."

Tessa took a deep breath and thought: _Maybe this man isn't an ass like all of the others_. She cracked her knuckles and expelled her breath before speaking again.

"I was picking up my uniform and had an altercation with the man," she balled her hands into fists at this word, "over what were acceptable articles for female students. Miss Tilmitt had interjected herself into the argument. I was so angry that I asked for my uniform and left.

"On my way back to my dorm I found that the guy had given me what I had told him I didn't want. I was already mad and went back and threw it in his face," Cid's expression soured at this, but Tessa carried on. "I told him to fix my order and he refused, so I got in his face. That was when Miss Selphie attacked me. I swear I did not take the first swing."

Cid leaned back in his chair and began rubbing his temples again. Tessa started to wring her hands, which were sweaty, out of nervousness.

"What was the article?" Cid asked while still rubbing his temples.

"Hmm?" Tessa asked, clearly not understanding his question.

"I asked you what the article you and Mr. Kinneas were fighting over," he said with a stern tone in his voice. He continued to rub his temples and avoid looking at Tessa.

"Pants," Tessa said quickly. "He said that skirts were required for the women's uniforms, and I told him I wanted pants."

"Skirts are required," Cid said. He quit rubbing his temples and clasped his hands together, laying them on his desk. He looked at Tessa with a small smile on his face.

_The bastard is just like the rest of them, the stupid man_! Tessa thought angrily. "No, they aren't."

"They aren't?" Cid asked curiously. "Can you prove it?"

Tessa gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I can. The stated rules for being a student, being a SeeD, and being a faculty member at any Garden do not say women have to wear skirts. The rules for Balamb Garden have no such claim, nor do any addendums. I have researched it thoroughly and ask that you provide a passage proving my claims incorrect."

"Well, Muss Matleo, congratulations," Cid said with a short clap. "You've proven three things just now: one, that you take stands and stand by them; two, you clearly do your homework and know what you're saying before you say it; and three, you're not afraid of opposition. These are all good qualities for SeeDs."

"But I have to wear a skirt?" Tessa asked angrily through her clenched teeth.

"No, actually, I was testing you. Mr. Kinneas was mistaken, and you quite right. It just happens to be that you're the first one to challenge the status quo," Cid said with a twinkle in his eyes. "You have my permission to substitute pants in place of a skirt with your uniform, and to avoid any future confusion I'll add it to the list of rules on the Garden Network."

"Thank you, Sir," Tessa said excitedly, standing up. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Miss Matleo. I just hope that I don't have to see you under such conditions again," Cid said. "Now, tomorrow you're to report to the Disciplinary Committee at 700 hours."

"Why?" Tessa asked out of confusion.

"Because you were fighting and need to be punished," he said with a laugh. "In case you don't know, the Disciplinary headquarters is the gatehouse in front of this building."

"Yes, Sir," Tessa said with veiled contempt.

"Good, dismissed," Cid said with a wave of his hand. He turned away from Tessa and was clearly waiting for her to leave.

_Stupid man_, she thought as she stormed out of his office and into the reception area. The receptionist looked up, but Tessa ignored her. _Stupid, stupid man, you will pay_.

---

"What are you wearing?" Latasha asked with a worried face later that day when Tessa walked back into the dorm's common room. She appeared to have been hunched over a book, studying. "You're going to get in trouble."

"I got clearance for them," Tessa said smugly as plopped down on a chair and she fingered her uniform's pants. "I had to fight for them, and I mean that literally."

"I heard about you and Selphie Tilmitt," Latasha told Tessa. "I can't believe you would be stupid enough to hit on Irvine Kinneas. Everyone knows that they're a couple."

Tessa felt her face grow red with anger. "I was not hitting on him, _he_ was hitting on _me_! Then his stupid bitch of a girlfriend attacked me!"

"Yeah right. Every new girl thinks they can have the pretty cowboy and can't take it when his girlfriend tells them to back off. I've seen it plenty of times; so don't act like Little Miss Innocent. Be honest," Latasha said with a roll of her eyes. She opened her book back up and started reading.

She was annoyed, but rather than pursue the subject she stomped to her room and slammed the door. She kicked over her still-packed suitcase and sat on the bed. She new that Balamb Garden was good for her future, but if her first day was any indication, she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

Tessa yawned and stood up. She walked over to and picked up her suitcase. She brought it back to the bed and sat down with it on her lap. Tessa pooped open the clasp and lifted the lid.

Inside the suitcase were two pairs of pants, five flannel shirts, and a small notebook. She had left most of the stuff she had collected over her years at Lotia Garden with her friends Liana and Dave. Tessa had wanted a clean start, but it had been difficult for her to leave her prized possessions behind.

Tessa lifted the notebook out of the suitcase and set it on the bed. She ran her hands around the outside of the suitcase before closing it. Latching the clasps, she stood back up and walked over to the desk, where she set the suitcase.

There was a hard-backed, wooden chair pushed under the desk. Tessa pulled the chair out and sat down, draping herself over the wood as if she were empty clothes lain out to be worn. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the chair.

_What the hell am I doing here?_ She thought as she kicked one of the chair's legs. _I haven't even officially started and everybody hates me already! I should just give up and go back to Lotia Garden._

Letting out a shuddering breath, Tessa felt her eyes growing wet. "No," she whispered, forcing her eyes open. The salty tears rolled down her face, but she paid them no heed. "I'm not one of those weak women. I won't let them beat me."

Again she stood up, but Tessa flicked the overhead light off, shrouding her room in darkness. She sat back down on her bed and reached for the window. She felt her hand wrap around the soft cotton of the curtain and she pulled it back, bathing the bed in the pale moonlight.

The notebook lay in the middle of a patch of light, its cover emblazoned with scribbled word and poor drawings of people in fighting poses. She grabbed the notebook and held it to her breast; her breath still jagged and tears still falling down her cheeks.

"Guys, I miss you," Tessa said as she opened the notebook. She flipped through pages of hastily written notes and poems until she found the one with an old, wrinkled photo taped onto it.

In the picture was Tessa, with her flaming red hair all frizzy and practically devouring her head. She was sitting on a large rock in the sun, and with her were a boy and girl, Liana and Dave.

Liana had short, black hair and it was streaked with light blue. Her deeply tanned skin contrasted with Tessa's own bizarrely pale skin. She was rather heavy, but no one ever said anything because she never spoke to anyone but Tessa and Dave, neither of whom cared.

David was wearing a brown and red striped sweater that was a few sizes too big, giving him the appearance of a young child. His blonde hair was by far the longest, reaching down to his shoulder blades. Tessa and Liana used to jokingly refer to him as Senor Senora whenever nobody else was around.

They weren't popular by any stretch of the word, but they were so happy that they didn't care. Tessa's old roommate, Eileen, would always ask why someone as good-looking as Tessa would hang out with a couple of losers, but Tessa would just shrug off the question.

She ran her fingers across the picture before closing the notebook. Tessa leaned over the edge of the bed and slid the notebook under it. Wiping her eyes and controlling her breathing, she laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Then, without even bothering to change out of her uniform, Tessa fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: 

"You two will scrub down the parking lot and wash all of the cars," a large man with dark skin and angry muscles said. "And if there's any fighting you have to answer Fujin!"

Raijin was the dumber of Seifer's lackeys, and despite his immense physical strength he always played second fiddle to Fujin. Fujin was an angry young woman with grey hair and an unexplained eye patch. Plus, for some unknown reason, she only spoke in one-word sentences.

"WORK!" Fujin commanded as she looked at the two young women with her one eye. It freaked Tessa out, but Selphie didn't seem to notice or care.

"Sure thing," Selphie said energetically as she grabbed one of the two buckets full of soapy water. Spilling an ample amount onto her boots, Selphie bounded to the nearest car. She reached into the bucket and pulled out and old rag, which she slammed against the windshield of the car. Humming happily, she began to wipe the windshield.

"YOU!" Fujin yelled at Tessa, who jumped at the power of the grey-haired woman's voice. Tessa looked at her feet and picked up the other bucket. She shuffled to the only other car, which just happened to be beside Selphie's.

"We're going to be scouting for other jokers like you two, so stay here," Raijin told Tessa and Selphie. "And you'd better both be alive when we get back!"

The man and woman left the garage and Tessa heard a door lock, which meant she was trapped with Selphie. Tessa set her bucket on the hood of the car and reached in, feeling for a rag or sponge, something to clean with.

"Here you go," Selphie said. Tessa heard a splashing sound before a soaked sponge slapped against one of the windows of the car. Luckily, she caught it before it slid to the ground. "They put two in mine."

"Thanks," Tessa said awkwardly as she squatted to begin to scrub the side of the car. Her car was a yellow SUV with a solitary red line that extended around its entire perimeter. She held her breath as she moved the sponge up and down the metal. She didn't know what kind of soap they were using, but it had an awful smell.

The two women worked in silence for an undetermined amount of time, and Tessa was working on the front bumper when Fujin unlocked the door and ran inside, her eye wide with fear.

"DISMISSED!" she yelled with a jerk of her arm before running back out of the garage. Avoiding Selphie's look in her direction, Tessa threw the sponge in the bucket (which had been moved from the car hood to the garage floor) and ran after Fujin to see what happening.

Tessa tore out the door, and she could hear Selphie on her heels. She caught a glimpse of Fujin at the end of the yellow hallway that led from the garage to the commons of the Garden's interior. Fujin was running in the direction of the dorms, but when they reached them she passed by without a second glance.

By this time Selphie had caught up with Tessa and the two were running stride for stride. Tessa looked down at Selphie's hands and noticed that she had her nunchuks out.

_Where did those come from_? Tessa thought as she pressed ahead, still keeping Fujin's form in her line of sight. Fujin reached the cafeteria and turned into the red hallway that led to it. Tessa and Selphie followed a few seconds later.

"What the hell?" Tessa said aloud when she reached the swinging doors that led to the cafeteria. There was a crowd of people gathered around trying to peer through the two small glass windows to see what was causing the ruckus.

Tessa stopped and Selphie ran into her, toppling both women. Tessa looked and saw a large group of feet shuffle and make way for Fujin's to get through. Tessa picked herself up and felt Selphie roll off and hit the floor.

She tapped the nearest person, a short guy in a SeeD uniform, on the shoulder. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Yeah," Selphie said when she finally got back to her feet. "What's happening?"

The SeeD turned around and looked at Selphie, completely disregarding Tessa. "I just got here, but someone told me that this guy just snapped and bit another guy in the neck."

Tessa felt the blood drain from her face, but she watched in awe as Selphie shouldered her way through the crowd. Selphie pushed the doors open, and Tessa caught a glimpse of Raijin trying to hold back a man while trying to not get bitten before the doors closed again. A spit second later Selphie reappeared, her face white as chalk.

"Someone get a medic, quick!" she yelled before vanishing behind the red doors again.

Everyone just stood around, looking confused and scared. "Move it!" Tessa yelled as she tried to push her own way through the small sea of people. "I'm a medical major!"

When she reached the doors Tessa pushed through uninhibited. She slipped and fell in a sticky, red liquid: blood. It took everything that Tessa had to keep from barfing as she climbed out of the pool of blood. She wiped her hands on her pants and looked around.

Selphie was using her nunchuks to restrain a SeeD with a large chunk of skin and cartilage missing from his neck. The guy was pinned to the ground, clutching at his neck and going into hysterics. Meanwhile, Raijin was holding the stranger in a headlock while Fujin kicked his ribs and stomach, but the man wouldn't calm down.

"What are you doing in here?" Selphie yelled when she saw Tessa standing in front of the door.

"You called for a medic?" Tessa asked weakly.

"If that's you, then get over here!" Selphie yelled back. Tessa stumbled to Selphie's side and helped hold the SeeD down.

The moment Tessa looked into the SeeD's eyes though, her years of medical training kicked in immediately. "His neck has one large open wound, it appears to be a bite. No major arteries or veins were hit, but some of his vocal cords are missing. If we don't do something soon, he'll drown in his own blood, though. I need to get something in there to help him start to breathe. Go see if there's a sterile basting utensil in the kitchen. Stat!" she yelled at Selphie. "Get a knife while you're at it, something sharp!"

Selphie climbed to her feat and ran to the kitchen, leaving just Tessa to hold him down. The SeeD then started to wildly thrash about. "Hey!" she yelled at Fujin who stopped kicking the guy long enough to look in her direction. "Get over here and help me!"

Fujin abandoned her attempts to help incapacitate the attacker and helped Tessa hold the SeeD down, which helped stop his thrashing. Selphie returned a few seconds later with a bating utensil in one hand and a large steak knife in the other. At her heels were two lunch ladies, one scared out of her mind and the other calm and silent. The calm one had only one arm.

"Get Dr, Kadowaki!" Selphie yelled at the lunch ladies as she handed the tools to Tessa. "Go, now!"

"Hold him down!" Tessa yelled at Selphie as the two lunch ladies ran out the doors and into the hallway. "This is going to hurt and he's going to try to fight me!"

Selphie threw her nunchuks aside and held the SeeD down as Tessa tucked the basting utensil under her arm. She took the knife in one hand and grabbed the SeeD's head with the other. She turned his head so that his neck, where he'd been bitten, was better exposed.

Tessa took the knife and, as carefully as she could, she cut at the skin around the bite. This only caused the SeeD to fight harder, but the two formidable women were more than enough to handle him. Tessa pushed aside several veins and set the knife down on her pant leg and grabbed the basting utensil. Using one hand to keep the gap open, Tessa plunged the tool into the SeeD's neck and began sucking out the blood that had become trapped. She withdrew the basting utensil, squirted its contents onto the linoleum floor, and repeated the process.

Soon the SeeD stopped struggling and Tessa stopped draining the blood long enough to grab a limp hand at the wrist. "Shit, he has no pulse!" Tessa said as she threw the basting utensil aside. She picked up the knife and began hacking away at the SeeD's shirt.

"You, help him!" Tessa ordered Fujin as she pointed as Raijin who was still struggling with the crazed attacker. Then she turned to Selphie. "You try to seal that hole in his neck as best you can."

"With what?" Selphie asked nervously, looking around.

"Use your hands!" Tessa shouted as she grabbed Selphie's hands and pressed them against the SeeD's wound. "Keep them there!"

Tessa then started to push down on the SeeD's chest with her own hands, and then she moved and closed his nose with one hand. She took a deep breath and put her mouth on the SeeD's and breathed the air from her lungs into his as best she could.

She moved back to his chest and started pushing on it again, but she still couldn't get his heart to beat. Tessa moved back to his mouth and took another deep breath and was about to expel the air into his lungs when a stern voice told her stop.

"I'm sorry, he's dead," a heavy woman with a plump face and thick glasses said. She was wearing her dark brown hair back in a bun and a long white coat covered her body.

"No, he's not!" Tessa screamed as she started pushing on his chest again. Selphie let go of his neck and stood up. Tessa looked up at her, shrieking. "What are you doing?"

Selphie grabbed Tessa from behind and pulled her away from the dead SeeD. Tessa turned around and buried her face into Selphie's blood-soaked chest, large tears falling from her eyes. Selphie just patted her back sympathetically.

After a minute or so Tessa backed away from Selphie and looked at Raijin and Fujin, whom were still struggling with the attacker. Large beads of sweat were covering Raijin's head, clearly showing how tired he was.

The attacker finally broke out of Raijin's fatigued grip and charged at Selphie. Tessa pushed her out of the way and stood ready to embrace the attack. She cupped her hands together and as soon as the madman reached her she swung her elbow into the side of his head.

There was a sickening CRACK and the man collapsed at Tessa's feet. She backed away and tripped over the body of the dead SeeD. Tessa fell hard on her butt, landing in another large pool of blood.

"Hey, are you okay?" Selphie asked, offering Tessa a hand. Tessa took it and stood shivering like she was freezing to death.

"I-I…" was all that Tessa could say. She closed her eyes and swallowed a large ball of spit that had lodged itself in her throat.

"Get her out of here," the woman in the white coat ordered as she loomed over the bodies of the attacker and his victim.

Selphie wrapped her arm around Tessa's shoulder and led her through the red double doors. The crowd of people had grown even larger and everyone moved out of the way of the two women. They passed Latasha who stared at the bloody Tessa with her mouth hanging wide open.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Selphie said sadly as she led Tessa to the dorms. Tessa shuffled along with Selphie, her mind blank and her breathing laboured. The people in the commons pointed at the two women and kept asking Selphie what happened, but neither spoke to the bystanders.

When they got to the dorms they passed Tessa's and walked further down the hallway. They stopped outside of dorm number 32S. A young man with spiked blonde hair and a large tattoo on his face answered the door. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open, just like everyone else's had.

"Zell, can we come in? There's been a murder in the cafeteria," Selphie said regrettably.

"Sure, just let me go kick that guy's ass," Zell said as he opened the door for the two women. He slammed his right fist into his left palm and made to leave, but Selphie grabbed the back of his SeeD's uniform.

"There's no ass to kick, it's over," Selphie said with a look at Tessa. "We just need to use your bathroom."

"Sure thing, it's right over there," Zell said pointing to a door on the left side of the room. The walls of the room were covered with posters of men in various fighting stances, and his desk was covered with copies of _Weapons Monthly_ and _Combat King_.

"Thanks," Selphie said as she the still speechless Tessa to the bathroom. She was turning the knob when Zell put his hand on her shoulder.

"Did the killer attack her?" Zell asked with a nod at Tessa.

"No," Selphie said with her eyes lowered. "She killed him."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: 

"How are you doing?" Selphie asked Tessa as she closed the bathroom door. Tessa was sitting on the toilet, shivering. "Are you okay?"

Selphie turned over a bucket and sat on it. There was a clean washcloth sitting on top of a clean towel inside the shower. Zell had clearly been about to take a shower when she had knocked on his door.

"I'm sure he won't mind," Selphie said as she leaned over and grabbed the cloth from the bottom of the shower. She stood up and made the three-step walk to the sink. She turned on the hot water and soaked the cloth. After shutting the water off and wringing out the cloth, Selphie sat back down on the bucket and grabbed Tessa's face. She made to wipe of a large patch of blood from Tessa's chin, but the younger girl jerked away.

"I'm sorry," Tessa said in a brittle whisper.

"Hey, there's no need to be sorry, you kicked that guy's ass!" Selphie tried to say cheerfully. She reached out and wiped a blood smear from Tessa's forehead.

"But I killed him!" Tessa said loudly in a horrified voice. "And I didn't save the SeeD!"

"Hey, we can't save everybody," Selphie said as she wiped another blood spot from Tessa's face. Then she grabbed Tessa's left hand and began to scrub it with the cloth. "Besides, you did save me."

"Selphie?" Zell said in an unsure tone as he knocked on the other side of the door. "Irvine's here, he wants to see you."

"Excuse me," Selphie said as she slapped the cloth into Tessa's bloody hands and walked out of the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and Tessa soon heard muffled voices emanating through the wood.

Tessa shook her head, the fog shrouding her mind lifting away. She stood up, the cooling cloth still in her grasp. Standing up, she walked over to the mirror and stared long and hard at herself.

_My god_, she thought as she touched her blood-drenched face. She gasped when she saw that her hands were completely covered with blood as well. _ Need to know what's going on_.

Dropping the cloth in the sink, Tessa turned away from the mirror and grabbed the doorknob. She opened the door and walked out in all of her bloody glory. Selphie and Zell turned around to look at her, but Irvine merely tipped his hat.

"How are you, Lil Lady?" he asked. Tessa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Are you still scared?"

"Shut the hell up!" Tessa exploded. She pushed Selphie and Zell out of her way so that she could look right in his face. "I'm not your Little Missy, Lady, or anything else, you stupid man. You are nothing to me, and that's all you'll ever be. So just shut up and leave me the hell alone!"

Tessa pushed Irvine with all of her strength and he fell backward, tripping over some magazines and landing on the bed. The angry woman stood over him for a few seconds, her nostrils flared, and then she turned away and opened the door to the hallway.

She walked down the surprisingly empty hallway until she reached the commons. She looked down one long walkway to her left and another to her right. She knew that if she took either they would circle around to the lobby, but she wanted to go to the cafeteria.

Trying to remember the way, Tessa turned left. She rubbed at her hands, trying to get some of the blood to come off when she saw the doorway leading to the garage.

"Shit!" Tessa yelled loudly. She turned around and ran back the way she had come, again passing the dorms. By the time she got back to the cafeteria hallway, it was full of bodies trying to push through and see the carnage.

"Move it, let me through!" Tessa yelled, though no one listened. She grabbed a couple of girls in student uniforms and pushed them out of her way. Moving with the seething mass, she slowly made her way to the forefront of the crowd.

Standing in front of the doors and keeping out the students and SeeDs alike were Raijin and Fujin. Tessa tried to catch their attention, but they had their hands full with everyone else.

"Hey, hey, make way!" an authoritative voice rang out, one that Tessa recognized. She turned around and saw Seifer striding through the crowd, followed by Headmaster Cid and another young man.

The young man was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt. Over the shirt he was wearing a black leather jacket and on his hands and feet he wore black leather gloves and boots. On his left ring finger was a ring with a monster on it that Tessa was sure she had seen before. It didn't take the gunblade in the same hand to alert her as to who he was, though. She was staring at Squall Leonhart.

Raijin and Fujin pushed open the doors and the two men strode through. The doors swung shut on their backs and Tessa was again awestruck. She had just seen the SeeD that had saved the world from Ultimecia. For a moment, she had even forgotten why she was even trying to get into the cafeteria.

Again the doors opened and Seifer stepped out and started talking to Raijin, but Tessa couldn't hear what he was saying over the murmurs of everyone else. Fujin looked over the crowd and saw Tessa standing there, still covered in blood. She leaned over and tapped on Seifer's shoulder and pointed at Tessa.

Seifer narrowed his eyes and walked over to Tessa, who held her breath out of nerves. "Are you the medic?"

"Yes," Tessa said weakly.

"Where is Selphie Tilmitt, the SeeD that was present during the incident?"

"In the dorms," Tessa answered him as truthfully as she could.

"Which dorm?" Seifer asked, irritated.

"I don't remember," she said as she stared at her feet.

"Figures," Seifer said angrily. "Get in there, the Headmaster and his Golden-Boy want to see you."

"Yes, Sir," Tessa said as she walked past him and to the swinging doors. She was pushing through them as Seifer yelled at her.

"Oh, and thanks for helping. You were so useful," he shouted sarcastically. Tessa stopped momentarily and closed her eyes. She shook her head, opened her eyes, and continued on her way.

The two bodies lay exactly where she had seen them last. The woman in the white coat had the Headmaster pulled aside and was talking to him when Tessa walked in. She didn't find out what it was about, though, because when Cid saw her he broke away from the conversation and approached the nervous young student.

His eyes were wide in shock, which Tessa attributed to the conditions of their meeting. "Miss Matleo, it was you?" he said in a shocked tone. "You performed the procedure on Mr. Rush?"

"Who?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Our unfortunate victim," Cid said with a gesture to the dead SeeD. Though he was speaking to her, he was avoiding her eyes. Tessa began wringing her hands.

"Yes, sir, I attempted an emergency tracheotomy, but it failed. I had neither the equipment nor the expertise to do the procedure accurately," Tessa said with a touch of regret in her voice.

"Why?" Cid asked, looking past her and at the doors that kept the curious mass of people out of the cafeteria.

"It was a split-second decision. If we had attempted to move him there would have been more, possibly irreparable, damage. And if we had waited for this Dr. Kadowaki to show up, he would have suffocated on his blood, which was pulling in his larynx," Tessa said as she listed off what she could remember.

"Raijin told me that the killer went after Selphie Tilmitt, a trained SeeD, but that you pushed her out of the way and struck him, causing his death. Why would you, a student, get between a SeeD and an attacker?" Cid asked as he continued to stare at the doors.

"Well, Sir, I had noticed Selphie holding nunchuks earlier and guessed that she had received her training with them. However, when she was targeted she did not have her nunchuks on her, so I did what I thought was best."

"Yes, well, I'll take these factors into consideration," Cid said. Tessa raised both her eyebrows in shock at the Headmaster's words.

"Consideration of what?" Tessa asked.

"Oh, it's nothing to concern yourself with," Cid said as he waved her off. Tessa stepped aside and the woman in the white coat stepped up to him.

Tessa looked around and saw Squall leaning against a pillar, half-obscured by a potted plant. Tessa walked over to the body of the attacker and knelt next to it. She felt the neck, and when she reached the bumps she knew that she was right in her earlier thoughts.

_I broke his neck_! She thought. _ But that's not plausible; I know I'm not that strong._

There was a bad stench emanating from the body that she hadn't noticed before. It was incredibly strong and made her eyes water. She set both hands on his face, which was oddly cold. _Not this soon_, she thought. _His body should still be warm_.

She moved his face and looked on both sides, not sure what she was looking for. Then she moved her gaze down to his hands, which were badly scratched. She lifted one and pushed the sleeve of the red windbreaker jacket he was wearing off of his arm. She saw only more scratches, so she let it fall. Then she lifted the other hand, which was also scratched, and pushed the sleeve back on this one. Then she found something that caught her eye.

The arm was covered in scratches, just like the other one, but there was a small sore on it that seemed to have grown infected with something that she hadn't seen in her three years of study medicine at Lotia Garden. Yet, as diseased as it was, Tessa recognized the wound. It was very similar to the one she had just treated. The attacker had been bitten too, just not to the same degree.

Tessa looked back at the man's face and made to close his eyes when she noticed something odd about them. They weren't a normal colour like blue or brown; these eyes were red. Tessa bit her lip and stared at the eyes for what seemed like hours, but only have been seconds. Then the eyes moved and focused on her, and the mouth began to move in a biting fashion.

"Aaah!" Tessa screamed at the top of her lungs, catching the attention of everyone else in the cafeteria. She jerked her hand away from the cadaver's face and scooted away from the body. Within a second Squall was at her side, looking at her face, but she was still staring at the moving head.

"What is it?" he asked in a deep voice, brushing a lock of red hair from her face.

Tessa couldn't speak, she just pointed at the head, which was still moving about. "Headmaster!" Squall yelled. "Dr. Kadowaki!"

Cid and the woman in the white coat rushed over to where Squall and Tessa were, and they too stared with horrified looks at the scene before them.

"What's going on?" Tessa asked Cid, but he looked at Dr. Kadowaki. "What is this?"

"Any ideas, Doctor?" Cid asked the woman in the white coat.

"I've never seen this before," Dr. Kadowaki said as she took off her glasses, wiped them on her coat, and put them back on. She had a disappointed look on her face, like she had been expecting to find the head still like it should have been. "I've never even read about it."

"Sir, we heard a scream and…" a man's voice said. Tessa turned around and saw Seifer rush into the room, followed by Selphie. "Wait, what's so interesting about a dead body?"

Squall stood up and moved so that the new arrivals could see what was occurring. Seifer merely narrowed his eyes, but Selphie turned away and began to puke on the floor.

"What the hell is that?" Seifer asked as he raised his right hand and pointed at the head. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"It's no joke, we don't know what it is," Squall said as he lifted he his gunblade. He laid the dull side of it against his shoulder.

In the confusion, Tessa slipped away and crawled to the nearby body of the SeeD known as Rush. She looked over his wound, wiping away the blood so that she could better see the damage. It was hard to tell where he had been bitten and Tessa had cut away the skin, but when she delved deeper she found that the area where the vocal cords had been ripped out by the attacker's teeth was already showing severe signs of infection.

Tessa stood up and wiped her hands on her pants, smearing them even further with blood that had begun to coagulate. She started to walk away when she a groaning sound from behind her. She whipped around and saw the SeeD slowly climbing to his feet.

She was too stunned to think and everyone else was still staring, transfixed, at the other body whose head was missing. _Forget that_! She thought. _There's a whole dead body moving right here_!

Tessa looked around and saw Selphie's nunchuks lying behind the SeeD. She ran and dove past it, hitting the ground and rolling. She swept her leg under his, knocking him back down. He grabbed her leg and tried to bite her, but she kept kicking at his head.

Struggling to reach the nunchuks that were at her fingertips, and not get bitten in the process, Tessa let out a shriek that caught the attention of everyone else in the room. The adults stood gaping, and Seifer joined Selphie in her puking party, but Squall leaped into action. He kicked the dead SeeD in the ribs, but it was ineffective.

Tessa kicked the SeeD's head again and stretched her fingers out to the nunchuks. Squall lifted his gunblade and drove it into the lower back of the SeeD, but it didn't even slow the SeeD down. Tessa's fingers finally made contact with one of the nuchuku and she rolled it to where she could get a grip.

Kicking again, Tessa lashed out with the nunchuk, but only hit her own leg instead of the thing clutching at her leg. Squall pulled his gunblade out of the SeeD and struck again, this time hitting one of the arms of the dead SeeD. The gunblade slid right through the arm, separating it completely from the body.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the arm that housed the hand grasping onto Tessa's leg with inhuman strength. Tessa kicked again but missed, instead striking the hand. This gave the SeeD and opening to go after her leg. It bit down but only got a mouthful of the pants. Tessa kicked again, this time as hard as she could, and pushed the SeeD's head back, tearing a large patch of her pants out.

The SeeD spat out the pants and if it weren't for the fact that Tessa was holding his head back with her foot, he would surely have bitten her. Then, in a flash, the SeeD's head rolled off his body and onto Tessa's chest. She grabbed it by the hair and threw it at the wall, a trail of blood falling onto the floor after it.

"Here," Squall said, offering Tessa a hand. She ignored it and kicked the now-limp body off. She climbed to her feet and unsteadily stood.

After regaining her sense of balance, Tessa walked over to the decapitated head that lay against a wall, a surprisingly large pool of blood spilling from it. She grabbed it by the hair and lifted it up. She held the dead face up to her own pale one. Then she turned the head to face the rest of the cafeteria, it lips moving silently and its mouth clearly trying to bite Tessa. Its eyes were a vivid red and they were rapidly moving from person to person.

Tessa cleared her throat and tried to speak in a strong voice, though she knew she wasn't being very convincing. "Would someone please tell me just what the fuck is going on here?"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Tessa became a bit of a reluctant star after the cafeteria incident, though her fame only lasted a couple of weeks. She learned that Rush, the dead SeeD, had been one of a group of students, "The Trepies," fans of the reinstated instructor Quistis Trepe. It was never figured out who the stranger was or how he got into the Garden, but no one knew anything about the post-death reanimation either. Headmaster Cid had made an order not to tell anyone, not even instructors. Seifer was even barred from telling Raijin and Fujin.

Selphie had personally delivered Tessa's new uniform as a sign of goodwill. Tessa took it, but there wasn't much discussed. However, she did later laugh when she found an extra pair of pants in the package.

Latasha had initially tried to pry information out of Tessa, but when she stayed tight-lipped, Latasha gave up. The girls had gotten over the fight from the first night, but they didn't bond, so they lived their lives pretty separately.

When she wasn't in class, Tessa had taken to volunteering in the infirmary to try to get more real medical experience. There weren't many serious cases to take care of, though. It was mostly younger students that had either lost fights in the Training Centre or injured themselves with their weapons.

Sometime during her second month at Balamb Garden a student showed up with a nasty bite on her leg. It was bloody and looked a tad infected. The young woman winced as Tessa pushed up her skirt to get a better look.

"You know, women can wear pants instead of skirts now, don't you?" Tessa said as she snapped on her latex gloves. She had been given a white jacket very much like Dr. Kadowaki's, and she was sitting upon a stool that had wheels on the bottom.

Tessa rolled away and grabbed a clipboard and pen from a nearby desk. She took the cap off the pen and rolled back to her patient. "Name?"

"Erin, Erin Sans," she said as she messed with the hem of her skirt. Tessa wrote down her name and looked back at the young woman.

"Okay, Erin, tell me what happened," Tessa asked, her pen poised above the paper on the clipboard. "And do try to remember everything."

Erin cleared her throat and swung her legs slightly. "I was walking to Balamb and strayed off the path. I know, it's dangerous," she added when she saw Tessa open her mouth, "and I don't need a lecture from someone only two years or so older than me.

"Anyway, I strayed off the path and was wandering through a wood, looking at the trees and plant life when I was attacked by a Catcherpillar. Now, as I'm sure you know, they're pretty easy to kill. I used a Water spell and was prepared to walk away when something weird happened," Erin told Tessa. Then she paused for a few seconds so that Tessa could get everything down.

"As I was saying, I was walking away when the Catcherpillar leaped up and bit my leg. That was when I pulled out my dagger and rammed it straight through the sucker's skull. I'm training to be a Sabre specialist, you know, but they don't let you use swords until you're a Class C. I'm only Class E, though."

Tessa wrote down what she thought was important. "You said the Catcherpillar attacked you after you used a Water spell? What's so unusual about that?"

Erin put a hand over her mouth and sniggered. "You don't know much, do you? Catcherpillars are Electric Elementals, and thus are weak against Water magic."

Tessa rolled her eyes and gripped the clipboard at the top with both hands, the pen twiddling between the middle and index fingers of her right hand. "Let me ask you something," Tessa told Erin, "what is your magic level, right now?"

"Uh, it's one, why?" Erin asked.

"It's just that Sabres don't use magic often, so the Catcherpillar must have survived your weak Water spell," Tessa said. "Don't worry about it, though. Medics tend to not be very strong, because we rely quite often on Curative magic."

"You look strong," Erin said as she pointed to Tessa's muscles, "and you're a medic."

"Yes, but I'm the exception to the rule. I always have been, and I always will be," Tessa said with a smile. "Now, let's get back to business. When did this happen, because your wound looks like it might be infected."

"It happened earlier today. I came straight here when I got back to the Garden," Erin said. "So I'm okay?"

"It appears so, but I'm going to have to take some samples and treat you just in case," Tessa said as she wrote down the added information. "Just read it over, and if you agree with what I have down, then you should sign it and put your keycard number in the appropriate space on the form."

"No keycards required?" Erin said with a tone of shock in her voice.

"Nope, Dr. Kadowaki wouldn't allow it. She said that it would interfere with the timely treatment of her patients," Tessa said as she rolled across the room to a cabinet. She opened it and pulled out a small bottle and a box of bandages. Then she looked over at Erin before closing the cabinet and rolling back.

"Here you are," Tessa said as she readjusted Erin's skirt so that the bite was better exposed. She had to blink several times because it appeared to have gotten worse since she had initially checked it. _It couldn't have_, she thought. "You have that formed filled out for me?"

"Yeah," Erin said as she held out the clipboard and pen.

"Just set those on the table next to you," Tessa said with a jerk of her head. "Now, for liability reasons, you're not addicted or allergic to Holy Water are you?"

"No," Erin said with a snigger. "But how could you be?"

"It's a psychological reaction to the stuff, not mental," Tessa said as she unscrewed the cap on the bottle. "Here, just hold still."

"Why not just use a Remedy?" Erin asked as Tessa poured the contents of the small bottle onto her leg. "It would clear this right up."

"Because," Tessa said as she rolled away and threw the bottle in the Medical Waste can, "Remedies are expensive and Holy Water cures more things than our other Status Medicine. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine, though."

Tessa rolled back over to Erin and opened the box of bandages. "However, I do want you to try and see Dr. Kadowaki tomorrow, because I'm only a student here." She pressed the bandage against Erin's leg and smoothed out the bumps in the adhesive tape.

"Whatever, see you later," Erin said as she jumped down from the examination table and walked out of the room.

"Hey," Tessa said loudly when Erin reached the doorway. She took off her gloves and waited for Erin to turn around. "I wasn't kidding about the pants, check it out."

"Can anyone tell me what the spell that makes you almost immune to the Earth Elemental is?" Quistis Trepe asked her class. "And no cheating, leave you console screens blank."

Tessa groaned because she hadn't studied the Elementals the night before. She had been up the entire night researching the behavioural differences between the Status Effects Berserk and Confusion for her Advanced Medicines class with Professor Aki.

Luckily, Quistis didn't call on Tessa because another student, a boy with a large bandage on his face, raised his hand. "Is it Float?"

"Yes," Quistis said as she sat on her desk. She was wearing a SeeD uniform and black boots. Tessa was relieved to notice that Quistis was wearing pants with her uniform instead of a skirt, though some of the boys weren't. She really admired the instructor because although she was beautiful, a tall thin blonde, she was also very intelligent. And even though she wore glasses, Quistis was also known for being incredibly strong. At any time she could be seen carrying her whip, which was coiled up and attached to her hip via a belt. "But can anyone tell me why it's not foolproof?"

When no one volunteered, Quistis glanced around the room and Tessa tried to sink lower into her seat. "Ah, yes, how about you, Antessence?"

Tessa sat up and was very aware of the fact that everyone was looking at her. "Um, is it because of the attacks of Earth-based Guardian Forces?"

"Yes, but that's not all of it," Quistis said as she stood up and walked amongst the class. "Students, you can turn on your consoles now. The first one to tell me the rest of the answer only has to do the odd-numbered questions on tonight's homework."

Tessa turned on her console and scrolled through the menu until she found the Tutorial section. She click on it and was looking for the Elementals section when the same young man who had answered the Float questioned raised his hand.

"Yes, Phelan?" Quistis said. She was clearly impressed; Phelan Barson was usually struggling to keep up with his Introduction to Basic Magic class. Quistis taught students how to draw and master Level One Magic such as Blizzard and Fire.

"Is it if your opponent is human has an Earth-based Magic junctioned to his Elemental Attack?" Phelan asked, clearly unsure of whether or not he had the correct answer.

"Yes, that is absolutely correct," said Quistis happily with a look at the clock. Tessa followed her eyes and saw that it was nearly 1800 hours, the end of the class. Quistis walked to her desk and picked up a piece of chalk. "Your assignment for tonight is to read pages 59-67 of _Magic and Junctions_ and to answer the questions on pages 68 and 69." Then, for emphasis, Quistis wrote the numbers down on the chalkboard behind her desk.

Tessa began to collect her things. She was going to go to the library with her friends, the Trepies. They had come to Tessa with questions about Rush's death, but eventually they bonded over the mutual admiration of Quistis.

"Tessa, come on," Aili yelled from the doorway. Aili was a short, dark-skinned brunette girl with a loud voice and bubbly personality. She was also one of the people with whom Tessa squabbled most because she refused to wear pants instead of a skirt.

"I'll be right there!" Tessa yelled backed. She closed her book and gathered everything in her hands. She was just getting out of her booth at the console when Phelan walked up to her.

"Hey, Antessence," he said nervously. He kept his head down, looking at his feet.

"Hi, Phelan," Tessa said as she pushed past him, trying to get out of the classroom before too many of the students from the next class piled in the room. "Oh, and it's Tessa."

"Sure thing," Phelan said dejectedly to her back as she ran out the door. Tessa stopped and turned around. With a sigh she walked back to Phelan.

"Alright, what is it? What do you want?" she said in a voice quivering with restrained annoyance.

Phelan kicked at his foot with his right. "I was wondering if, sometime, you'd like to go to Balamb with me. You know, grab a bite to eat or something. They just opened a new restaurant by the docks."

Tessa rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was for some loser man to have a crush on her. "Sure, whatever. I've got to go," she said as she turned and strode the door. She was just walking out when she ran into Professor Aki.

"Watch where you're going," he said bitterly, which was his custom. Professor Aki was the least liked instructor at Balamb Garden because he was so rude to his students, but he was also one of the best ones because he expected so much of them that they strived to keep from failing. He was older, fifty or so, and he walked with a limp. Rumour had it that he had been a freedom fighter in Timber before coming to teach at Balamb Garden.

"Sorry, Sir," Tessa said to the grey-haired instructor. "I'll be more careful from now on."

"You expect me to believe that?" he said as he pushed Tessa out of his way and strode to the desk. He grabbed an eraser from it and began to wipe off the notes that Quistis had written on the board.

_Stupid old man_, Tessa thought bitterly as she left the classroom. She was walking down the hall to the elevator when Phelan caught up to her. _Now what_?

"Tessa, how does Friday sound?" he asked as they walked side by side.

"For what?" Tessa asked angrily, still upset over her encounter with Aki. They reached the elevator and she pounded the "down" button with her open palm.

"Our date," Phelan said excitedly. He was standing so close to her that she could smell the disinfectants emanating from his bandage.

"Sure, Friday," she said in a distracted voice. The elevator didn't come so she pushed the button again and kicked the metal sliding doors. "Whatever makes you happy."

The elevator dinged and Tessa stepped in just as the P.A. went off. "Antessence Matleo to the infirmary, I repeat, Antessence Matleo to the infirmary."

"Great," Tessa said sarcastically as the metal doors slid shut and the elevator began to whir down to the first floor. "Just great."


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Whether you guys read it or not, This story is going to continue. evil laugh Seriously, it's good, someone R&R already!

Chapter Seven:

"Sorry it took so long, the elevator was really slow today," Tessa exclaimed as she burst into the infirmary. She stopped in her tracks, seeing as how Dr. Kadowaki was in the company of Headmaster Cid. She gave a salute and stood at attention. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there is," said Dr. Kadowaki. "Do you remember treating an Erin Sans?"

Tessa set her stuff down on the examination table and thought. "Yeah, she came in earlier today with a minor infection resulting from an injury she sustained in a fight with a Catcherpillar this morning."

"And how did you treat her?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. "What did you use?"

"I cleaned the wound with a Holy Water and bandaged it, why? She told me that she wasn't allergic to it," she said nervously as she hid her sweaty hands behind her back.

"Did you swab the infection for testing?" Kadowaki asked. She picked up a Manila folder and pulled out a sheet of paper with Tessa's writing on it.

"I didn't feel it was necessary, but I did tell her to see you tomorrow," Tessa said quietly. "What did I do?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Cid said as he approached Tessa. "There's something you should see."

He turned and nodded to Dr. Kadowaki. The older woman walked to a large white curtain that was used to protect the privacy of the patients that needed to be kept for observations. She pulled back the curtain and Tessa gasped.

Erin was strapped down to a bed, wildly thrashing about and moaning. The sounds were so loud that Tessa wondered why she hadn't heard them when she first entered the infirmary. Even more worrisome was the fact that Erin's body was covered in large, open sores that oozed a green and yellow puss.

"What the hell is that?" Tessa asked. "She looked nothing like this when I treated her. And besides, how could any disease progress so quickly? It takes even the fastest of viruses at least two days to even enter the most minor of stages."

"I know," said Kadowaki as she took off her glasses and cleaned them on her jacket, which Tessa had become accustomed to witnessing. "However, we have to operate in the best interest of our students. Now, you said she fought a Catcherpillar this morning, do you know where?"

"All I can remember is that she said something about woods," Tessa said as she looked over Erin's body. "But isn't that on the form?"

"No," Dr. Kadowaki told her as she looked over the paper in her hands. "All it says about the fight is that it was with a Catcherpillar."

Tessa fidgeted, unsure of what to do until Cid spoke up. "Miss Matleo, try to remember what Miss Sans told you. Her life may depend on it."

"I'm sorry, all I can remember is that she fought a Catcherpillar in the woods," Tessa said regretfully. "That and that she stabbed it."

"So, somewhere in a wood on Balamb is a Catcherpillar with a stab wound," Cid said thoughtfully as he stroked his chin. "I'm sorry, I need to do something, excuse me."

Tessa watched as Cid walked away, then she looked to Dr. Kadowaki. "Is it from something I did?"

She shook her head and laid a hand on Tessa's shoulder sympathetically. "I doubt it, but it's always a possibility."

"I need to see something," Tessa said, and she moved away, letting Dr. Kadowaki's hand fall to into air. She walked to Erin and looked at the younger woman. Erin's dark hair fell around her shoulders, and her ears were rather large. But it was her eyes that drew Tessa. They were bloodshot and the irises had become and a deep red.

Tessa turned her head away and wiped her eyes, trying to control her breathing. It was neither the time nor the place to do what she eventually would have to. She looked at Dr. Kadowaki and continued her examination.

She lifted the skirt and looked at the bandage. "Could you get me some gloves, please?" Tessa asked the doctor.

"Am I an orderly?" Dr. Kadowaki asked irritably, but she retrieved a fresh pair of latex gloves from a nearby box anyway.

"Thanks," Tessa said as she took them from the doctor. She put the gloves on and began to remove the bandage as carefully as possible, which was difficult due to Erin's spasmodic movements. Who found her?"

"Her roommate found her unconscious in their bathroom. The sores didn't begin to appear until after she was brought here," Dr. Kadowaki told Tessa.

Tessa removed the bandage and walked to the medical waste can. She had stepped on the lever to lift the lid and was about to throw the bandage away when the Dr. Kadowaki cleared her throat.

"What?" Tessa asked.

Dr. Kadowaki shook her head. "Are you really going to throw that bandage out?"

"Yes?" Tessa said with great uncertainty. "Isn't that the medically responsible thing to do?"

"Weren't we just talking about your having not swabbed the wound?" said Kadowaki "Put the bandage in one of the jars and I'll examine it later. Now, continue with your examination, it'll be a good learning experience for you."

"Yes, Doctor," said Tessa. She lifted her foot and the lid slammed back down. It seemed to trigger a reaction in Erin because she stopped moving. Tessa held the bandage between the index finger and thumb of her left hand and grabbed a jar from a counter with her right.

She held the jar in place against her side with her left arm as she unscrewed the lid with her right hand. Tessa set the lid on the counter and grabbed the jar with her right hand. She dropped the bandage in the jar and set the jar on the counter. Then she picked up the lid and screwed it back on. Picking up a marker that laid nearby on the counter, Tessa wrote Erin's name on it.

"Impressive," Dr. Kadowaki said with a nod. "Go on."

Tessa walked back to Erin and looked at the wound, which seemed to have gotten worse in the hours since she had last seen it. "It looks familiar."

"What?" Dr. Kadowaki said in surprise. She strode to Tessa's side, trying to see what see had. "You've seen this before? I haven't, and I've been in this profession for far too many years."

"You've seen it, too," Tessa said with a look at the older woman. "You just don't remember. A few months ago, during my first week at Balamb Garden, the attack; don't you remember?"

"I remember, but what does this have to do with that?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, clearly clueless.

"See this blackened area where the skin is dead?" Tessa said as she traced the wound with her gloved finger. "It's surrounded by another ring of inflamed skin. I noticed it when I was examining the bodies. I remembered it because it was it was so unusual. I'm surprised you don't."

"That's because I didn't examine the bodies," Dr. Kadowaki said. "Headmaster Cid was worried and had them burned before I could. He never told me why, though."

Tessa widened her eyes in shocked. "Why would he…" but she didn't finish her sentence because the P.A. went off.

"Calling Squall Leonhart and Antessence Matleo to Headmaster Cid's office," Cid's voice rang out. "I repeat, calling Squall Leonhart and Antessence Matleo to Headmaster Cid's office."

"Go, I'll finish up here," Dr. Kadowaki said. "When you get back we'll look over the bandage together. I think it's just as important that you find out what's going on here as I."


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: The zombie stuff is just getting started, but it won't be back for awhile. These next few chapters will be mostly for plot and character development.

**Gullwing Yunie:** Yay, finally, a review. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And don't worry, I will continue this story, and it gets a lot more interesting. The FFVII element begins to take place in the next one or two chapters.

Chapter Eight:

The elevator doors closed before Tessa realized what she was doing. She had meant to go to the administration building, but for some unknown reason she had gotten on the elevator instead of going out onto the grounds and to the administration building.

She looked around and noticed a security camera in one of the elevator's corners. It had a beeping red light that Tessa had never really understood. She sighed and moved to the back of the elevator so that she would be out of the way of its other occupants when they were getting off on the second floor.

The bell dinged and the other passengers departed. Tessa gave a quick glance back to the camera before the doors started to close.

"Oh, do hold the elevator!" someone called out. Tessa stepped forward and pushed the "door open" button. A blonde SeeD wearing a whip at her side dashed into the elevator. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Instructor," Tessa told Quistis Trepe, her favourite instructor. Then she looked away and ran her left hand through her frizzy red hair.

"Good work in class today, Antessence," Quistis told her pupil as she readjusted the glasses perched on her small nose. "It was clear you didn't know the answer, but you're a quick thinker, that'll definitely help when you become a SeeD."

"Thanks, Ma'am," Tessa said nervously. She still wouldn't look at Quistis.

"Shouldn't you be at the Headmaster's?" Quistis inquired. "I thought I heard him call you over the P.A."

"He did, Ma'am. I'm on my way there now," Tessa said as she fidgeted with her hands. After a few seconds of not knowing what to do with them she decided to clasp them behind her back.

"Okay then. Just don't forget to finish your assignment. I've seen with you can do with a simple Cure spell, and I'd hate to see such talent go to waste."

Tessa blushed, her face growing to a shade of red that matched her hair. Many of her Instructors praised her for prowess in the usage of Magic, with the obvious exception of Professor Aki.

"See you in class tomorrow, Antessence," Quistis said after the elevator doors dinged open. Both women stepped off of the elevator: Quistis turned left toward the library and Tessa headed straight.

She passed the directory where Aili was stooped, watching a Triple Triad game. When she saw Tessa her smile faltered and she stood up. "Where did you go? We waited in the library, but you never showed up."

"Sorry," Tessa said meekly as she stopped in her tracks. "I got held up in the infirmary. See, there was this patient who…"

"I don't care," Aili said angrily as she cut off Tessa. "I'm getting sick and tired of you blowing us off to work in the infirmary."

"Come on," Tessa pleaded. "You know I'm a Medical major and that I need all the practice I can get."

"Yeah, but there's more to life than your major," Aili said with a scoff. "I'm an artillery major, but you don't see me spending all my time going through the ammunitions cache."

"I'm really sorry," Tessa said as she backed away toward the doors that lead to the grounds. "I've got to go to the Headmaster, and I'm already late."

"Forget it," Aili said angrily as she stormed off in the direction of the library, kicking the cards of the girls playing Triple Triad.

"Hey!" one of them yelled. "Watch it!" Aili ignored her and continued on her way.

Tessa turned away with a heavy heart and pulled her keycard out of her back pocket. She handed it to the old man at the entrance booth and walked through the metal detector, which didn't go off.

"Very good," the man wheezed with a wrinkled grin as he handed Tessa her keycard.

She didn't say anything, but instead walked to the administration building. The sun was setting and it was starting to get cool out. She rubbed her arms and was glad that she wasn't wearing a skirt, because her legs would've been freezing.

She reached the administration building, its lights emanating a warm, inviting glow. The knob found itself in her hand and she turned it, opening the door. The receptionist's desk was as cluttered as she remembered.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked with a smile. Tessa wiped her sweaty palms on her pants.

"Um, yeah, the Headmaster sent for me," Tessa said, suddenly aware of her frizzy red hair in comparison to the beautiful brunette. She hated feeling inadequate because she had always claimed that looks shouldn't matter in life.

"Antessence Matleo?" she asked as she rifled through a large pile of papers on her desk. She pulled out a sheet and looked it over. "Headmaster Cid is in a meeting right now, but you can wait over there."

Tessa sat down on the uncomfortable bench that the receptionist had pointed out. She looked around the messy room and felt a need to speak up. "Why do you do it?"

"Do what?" the receptionist asked as she looked over at the bench from her console.

"This," Tessa said as she gestured around the little room. "Why do you conform to the belief that women have to be serve subservient roles to men? You could be so much more than a secretary."

"I'm happy being a secretary, and it was my choice," she told Tessa with a quizzical look. "Why do you care?"

"I just think that women should be no different from men, and men no different from women," Tessa explained. "I'm not lower than a man simply because I have a vagina."

The receptionist's eyes grew wide. "What did you say?"

"I said vagina," Tessa said simply. "I believe that using terms such as 'down there' or 'unmentionables' is merely to keep men from thinking about vaginas. Oh, come on, don't be like that" (the receptionist's eyes had grown wider with each word) "say it with me: vagina, vagina, vagina!"

"Ahem," a man said as he cleared his throat. Tessa looked over at the now-open door and saw Cid standing there.

"Sir," Tessa said as she stood up and saluted. "You requested me?"

"Erm, yes, I did," Cid said, his face growing a pale red. "I'm ready to see you now."

Cid stepped aside and Tessa walked into his office. She stood by a chair in front of his desk, and she saw Squall standing in one corner of the room, his gunblade resting in his hand.

"Have a seat," Cid said as he walked into the room and closed the door. He walked around Tessa and sat down at his desk. "Antessence, I have something I need you to do for me."

"Yes, Sir," Tessa said. She was worried because of the unusual circumstances. "What is it?"

"I need you to find that Catcherpillar body for me. Maybe it'll help us understand what is happening to Miss Sans," he said. "Squall will accompany you to the gate to the Garden's edge, but from there you'll be on your own."

"Why, Sir?" Tessa asked. "Why will I be alone?"

"Miss Matleo, it is a test of your abilities. You have an hour to get ready. That is all," Cid said with a wave. "I have an important meeting, if you don't mind."

"One question, Sir," Tessa said. Cid looked at her, impatiently tapping his fingers on his desk. "I need a GF, but haven't been assigned one yet. Where would I get one?"

"Fine, fine," Cid said as he continued to strum his fingers. He turned to the rooms other occupant. "Squall, you have plenty of GFs, would you loan one to Miss Matleo?"

Squall straightened up and reached inside his jacket pocket. He pulled something out and tossed it to Tessa. "Don't lose it," he said.

Tessa caught the object. It was a small, shiny pin of a mermaid on a rock. She was holding a harp in one hand and playing it with the other. "Siren?" Squall didn't say anything, so Tessa stood up. "Thank you, Mr. Leonhart, I appreciate it greatly."

"Dismissed," Cid said in an aggravated tone.

"Goodbye, Sir," Tessa said nervously. She hadn't meant to madden the Headmaster. _Stupid old man should've known I'd have questions_.

She stood up and walked to the door. She opened it and was met with the figure of a man. He was tall, dark-skinned, and bald. A pair of black sunglasses hid his eyes and he wore a dark blue suit over a white shirt.

"Excuse us, Mr Rude," Cid said as he stood up. "These two were just leaving." He ushered Squall and Tessa out of the room, stood back for Rude to enter. Tessa looked back and watched as Cid slammed the door.

"That was weird," Tessa told Squall as she turned around, but he was already walking out of the Administration building. The secretary laughed and Tessa glared at her. "Vagina!"


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

A/N: This chapter is incredibly important to the story, in the sense that it begins one of the (many) twists of the overall plot. Sorry about the long time for this update!

**Gullwing Yunie:** Thanks, glad to know you like my descriptions. Actually, I feel it's the weakest part of my writing.

The cold air bit through Tessa's uniform and clouds that seemed to press against her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe, enshrouded the moon overhead. Tessa had a bad feeling, but she rationalized it as first-mission jitters. However, she did recognize one worry as legit. She had never heard of a student doing the kind of assignment that she was. It had always been SeeDs assigned to it, even if it was grunt work.

Unfortunately, the path to Balamb was unlit and her flashlight was far too small to efficiently illuminate her way. She saw the path curve to avoid a forest, her destination. She turned back and looked at the Garden, lit up like a candle store.

The small pack she had bought in Balamb while on a trip with her friends was in her left hand. It was filled with vials, scalpels, and tongs. Tessa was planning on exhuming the body while she was there. She had a feeling something odd was happening.

She remembered how, about twenty minutes before, Squall had stopped at the Garden's edge and silently watched as she departed on her own. It was more the fact that she was alone than anything else that caused the fear to boil up inside her. Still, Tessa felt determined to prove that she didn't need to be accompanied by a man just to do some simple grunt work.

Stepping off the path and onto the soft dirt, Tessa raised her flashlight and looked at the dark outline of the trees. There was the scuffle of monsters fleeing from the light, and Tessa took a deep breath and started walking toward the woods.

"She said she strayed, so she must not have gone in too deep," Tessa muttered as she pushed an evergreen branch out of her way. Balamb, even with its pseudo-tropical weather, still housed several plants native to more temperate climates. It had confused scientists to no end.

The forest was thick and Tessa could hardly see, even with the aid of her flashlight. She would push branch after branch out of her way, but only to scratch her arms on two or three for each one she displaced. Often she would find herself stumbling over stones and tripping on twigs. That was why she didn't notice the object that made her trip.

"Ow!" she yelled. Tessa looked around and saw her flashlight, which had flown out of her grip upon impact, lying mere decimetres from her right hand. She painfully rolled over and grabbed the light, shining it where she had been lying just a second before. There was a dark blotch and Tessa subconsciously checked her body, which yielded no evidence of injury. She moved the light further up and saw a large, rotund body lying on its side. Its skin was green with blue and pink spots.

"Lucky me," she said sarcastically as she pushed herself into a sitting position with her left hand. That was when she realized her examining bag was gone. "Lucky, lucky me."

She waved the light around and found the bag lying open at the Catcherpillar's head, some of its contents spilling out. She crawled to it and swept everything into the bag. She shined her light onto the Catcherpillar's head and saw a large bloodspot on its head.

"Wow, I guess I really am lucky," Tessa said as she set down her bag and opened it. Sticking the flashlight in her mouth, she pulled out a plastic baggie filled with cotton swabs and a small vial with a plastic lid that screwed off. She took the lid off the vial and set it on her knee, and then she opened the baggie and pulled out a cotton swab.

Carefully, Tessa swabbed some of the blood, which had already begun to coagulate, and stuck the swab in the vial. She screwed the lid on the vial and stuck it in her bag. Then she pulled out a pair of gloves, another vial, and a scalpel. Tessa set the vial and scalpel on top of the body while she put on the gloves. Tessa then opened the second vial.

Then she gently lifted a flap of skin that had come loose where Erin's knife had gone through (Tessa recognized the injury as being caused by the puncture of a sharp object) and cut off a small sliver of the tissue and dropped it into the vial. She was screwing on the vial's lid when she heard a crack.

Bristling, Tessa held the vial firmly in hand and swung around, holding out the scalpel as though it were a weapon. The light in her mouth revealed nothing and she sighed, her shoulders slumping and the flashlight in her mouth drooping slightly. She turned around and the light illuminated a pair of legs standing just behind the Catcherpillar's body.

Tessa looked up and saw a blonde woman in a dark blue suit similar to that of the man that Cid had referred to as Rude. The flashlight fell from Tessa's mouth and her eyes grew wide in curiosity. "Who the hell are you?" she asked. The woman didn't say anything; she just narrowed her eyes.

"If you don't mind, I have work to do," Tessa said as she looked at the ground for her flashlight.

"As do I," the woman said. Tessa jerked her head up in time to have her chin meet with the woman's boot-clad foot.

"What the…" Tessa started to say, but the woman jumped over the Catcherpillar and kicked Tessa in the side of the head. Her head swam, but Tessa lashed out with one foot. The woman easily dodged it.

"This is too easy," the blonde said with a sneer. "Reno told me that SeeDs were almost on par with our own SOLDIER program."

"SOLDIER?" Tessa whispered as her vision began to clear. The moon was suddenly bright "What's SOLDIER?"

"Huh?" the blonde woman asked as she kicked Tessa in the stomach. "I can't hear you, Sweetheart. The sound of your death is too loud."

"Bite me!" Tessa wheezed as she pressed the pin on her shirt. It was the one Squall had given her back in Cid's office, the GF Siren. The pin began to shine and Tessa heard the sound of the ocean fill her ears.

"You think that'll help?" the blonde woman said in a mocking tone. "It'll take more than Summoning Materia to defeat me?"

_Materia_? Thought Tessa as her pin grew brighter. _SeeDs haven't used Materia in ages_.

Tessa covered her eyes just as the woman pulled something out of her pocket. There was a bright light and Tessa heard the beautiful notes of a harp being played. She opened her eyes and saw a mermaid, the GF Siren, sitting on a large rock between Tessa and the blonde.

Water came out of nowhere, but even when it engulfed Tessa she never felt it and it never inhibited her ability to breathe. The blonde fell back and started to fall away with the flow of the water, but then Tessa saw something in her hand glow and the woman stopped moving.

A horse neighed somewhere nearby and Tessa swung her head around in confusion. She looked back at Siren and saw a large knight on a giant horse swing his sword at her. The knight was wearing white and black armour and his sword was as black as the night sky. Tessa immediately recognized him as the legendary Odin.

For a split second Siren sat there as though nothing had happened. She then began to glow, and instantly vanished, leaving Tessa defenceless as Odin loomed over her. He glared at her with his dark eyes and his steed snorted in her face before he rode away into the dark forest.

"I told you it wouldn't work," the blonde said as she stood up and walked toward Tessa, her hair almost golden in the pale moonlight. "They finally figured out that summoning Materia isn't as useless as they thought. We'd told them time and again, but they never listened."

_Who is she talking about_? Tessa wondered as she tightened one hand around the vial and the other around the scalpel. _What is she talking about_?

"Now you die," the blonde said as she loomed over Tessa, her body framed by the moon overhead. She reached into her pocket and pulled another object from her pocket. It was a dark green rock that seemed to glow, Materia.

"I doubt it," Tessa said as she wiped her nose with her sleeve. When she pulled it away it was covered in blood, but Tessa didn't notice. Instead, she launched the scalpel at the woman's hand, knocking the Materia out of it.

"You little bitch!" the blonde woman yelled as she kicked Tessa in the ribs, but Tessa rolled with the blow and kicked out with her left leg, her foot connecting with the woman's kneecap. The blonde fell and Tessa took the opportunity to begin crawling away, out to the walkway between Balamb and the Garden.

"Get back here!" the blonde yelled. She dove on top of Tessa and pushed her face into the ground. Tessa brought her elbow into the woman's side and knocked her off, but the woman kicked her hand, knocking the vial out of it.

Tessa rolled and grabbed the vial and stuffed it into her shirt pocket just as the blonde kicked her in the back. She grabbed Tessa by the hair and jerked her head up. Tessa saw the flash of metal in the moonlight and grabbed the pin on her shirt instinctively. She drove the sharp needle bit into the hand that was grasping her hair and fell to the ground before her throat was slit.

"Why are you doing this?" Tessa screamed out, but the woman didn't answer.

"Is someone out there?" Tessa heard someone call out. She was about to yell for help when a hand clamped down on her mouth. Tessa tried to bite it, but before she could she felt something bite into her shoulder. It felt like hundreds of white-hot needles were stuck in her. Then the blonde maniacally twisted the knife with her free hand.

Tears slid down Tessa's face at the pain, but she concentrated as hard as she could and grabbed the woman's knife hand. Tessa mumbled something under the woman's hand and the blonde jerked her hand back and yelped loudly.

"Did you guys hear that?" the person that Tessa had heard earlier said. "Someone's in trouble!"

She heard footsteps pounding on the pavement of the walkway and Tessa was glad that Erin hadn't wandered too far into the woods when she attacked. The blonde let go of Tessa's mouth and pushed her face into the ground again. Tessa smelled burnt flesh and the woman whispered in her ear, "you lucked out this time, Bitch."

"Over here!" the voice yelled and Tessa heard the sound of people crashing through the wood. The knife was painfully ripped out of Tessa's shoulder and she heard the woman running further into the forest. Within seconds a light was shining in Tessa's frightened, dirty face.

"What the hell happened to you?" a man in a SeeD uniform asked as he knelt next to her. Tessa reached out with her good hand and grabbed his arm. She couldn't speak; she was too traumatized.

"Cal, what is it?" someone else asked. Two more people, a woman in a SeeD uniform and a man in a student uniform, showed up. They began gawking at Tessa, their mouth's hanging open.

"I don't know. This girl can't seem to talk. I think she may've been attacked by that T-Rexaur that escaped a couple of weeks ago," Cal said. He had dark hair that was obviously a victim to the crew cut. "Let's get her back to the Garden."

"What was she doing in the woods alone?" the student asked. "Especially at night?"

"Unless she tells us, we won't know," Cal said as he stood up, lifting Tessa by her good arm. He led her out of the woods and onto the walkway. Then he spoke soothingly to Tessa, "It's okay, and no one's going to hurt you. I'll protect you."

Then Tessa's mind kicked in and she painfully jerked her arm out of his grip. "I don't need your protection, I can take care of myself."

"It doesn't look like it," the female SeeD said. "You're pretty beat up. You need help."

"No, what I need is to go one day without being told I need some man to protect me," Tessa said angrily as she glared at the trio. "I appreciate your help, but I think I can take it from here."

"You can't make it back by yourself!" the student said, but Cal laid his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"What are you going to do, Dartone, force her to accept our help? Just forget it, we still have to get to Balamb and pick up that gift for Avue," Cal said. "Come on, let's go."

Tessa watched as the three people walked away and she turned around and walked back to the Garden alone.

"Tell me what happened," Dr. Kadowaki said as she bandaged Tessa's shoulder.

"I already told you!" Tessa said as she held a cotton ball to her nose. "I was attacked by some woman in the forest."

"And she was wearing a suit, using Summoning Materia, and had Odin kill Siren," the doctor said with a sigh. She grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped the bandage. "Why won't you tell me what really happened?"

"That is what happened!" Tessa repeated. "What is wrong with you?"

"Hold on," Kadowaki said as she stood up and pressed a piece of medical tape to Tessa's shoulder. She walked over to a phone that hung on the wall. It was only the third one Tessa had ever seen. The first had been in the infirmary at Lotia Garden and the second in Headmaster Cid's office. Kadowaki pushed a series of buttons and began speaking into the receiver. "Yes, thank you, I'll keep her here."

"What is going on, where is Erin?" Tessa asked. While Kadowaki had been on the phone Tessa had walked over and pulled back the curtain to reveal an empty, pressed bed. It was as though there had never been a woman on death's door lying in it.

"Miss Sans recovered and left," Kadowaki said as she led Tessa back to the examination table. "Shortly before you arrived Headmaster Cid had informed me to send her file to him. It looks as though she dropped out."

"I don't believe you," Tessa yelled. "I saw her, she was dying! I almost died getting this!" Then she pulled the vial with the piece of Catcherpillar skin out of her pocket and Dr. Kadowaki's eyes widened out of shock.

"Calm down," she said as she tried to take the vial from Tessa. "Give it to me and everything will be fine."

"Why should I?" Tessa yelled as she waved the vial about. "If Erin recovered then there's no need for it! I should just throw it out now!"

"Calm down!" Dr. Kadowaki said calmly. "You were just attacked by the escaped T-Rexaur," Tessa's eyes widened, "Yes, I talked to Mr. Regire and he told me what happened."

"I was not attacked by a T-Rexaur!" Tessa yelled as she kicked the table. "I was attacked by a blonde woman! She used Materia and stabbed me with a knife! She said that there were others!"

Just then several men in SeeD uniforms rushed into the infirmary and ran at Tessa, who stood stunned. She was tackled to the ground and the vial flew from her grasp and skittered across the floor. Dr. Kadowaki walked past the men swarming over Tessa and, in the confusion, slipped the vial into her pocket.

"Get her up!" Dr. Kadowaki commanded. The SeeDs lifted Tessa up and Dr. Kadowaki stuck as needle into her arm and began pushing a drug into her bloodstream. "This should sedate her." Within seconds Tessa's vision blurred and passed out, falling into the arms of Calvin Regire.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

A/N: Anyone else remember their worst rejection in high school? R&R!

"Tessa, get the door!" Latasha yelled from the common room.

"Make the cripple do all the work!" Tessa retorted with a laugh. "You sound just like a man!"

Tessa was wearing (another) new student uniform and her left shoulder appeared much larger than her right. It was a result of the bandaging of her wounded shoulder. Dr. Kadowaki had ordered Tessa several to attend several "Recovery sessions" with the Garden's only trained counsellor, Quistis Trepe. Tessa was more than agreeable.

"What do you want?" Tessa asked as she opened the door. She was slightly taken aback to find Phelan standing there outside her door, a copy of Lord Avon's "Wish Upon A Star" held out to her.

"It's Friday, we're supposed to have our date," he said hopefully. "Or did you forget?"

"Sorry," Tessa said lamely. "But with the stabbing and all, I was ordered to stay in the Garden. Maybe some other time?"

"Oh," Phelan said sadly, his face falling. He shoved the copy of the play into her hand. "Well, I brought you this."

"Thanks," Tessa said as she slammed the door in his face. _Men_, she thought. _Why can't they just leave women alone? We do have more in our lives than dates and plays_.

"Go with him," Latasha said as Tessa plopped onto the sofa. "Get out of here, you've been driving me crazy, staying here all the time."

"What, I've only been here as long as you," Tessa pointed out. "In fact, it's only been a couple of days that I've stayed here."

"I know," Latasha said as she looked up from her artillery guide. "And you're driving me crazy. All you do is end up listening to _Lenne_ and whine about how you were attacked. Get over it and get out of here. Get a guy already"

"Bite me," Tessa said as she stood up, throwing the play over her shoulder. She stomped to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

_I will not "get a man,"_ Tessa thought angrily as she kicked her bed. Her shoulder itched and that only served to make her madder. _I don't need a man._

"I don't need a man!" Tessa screamed at the top of her voice, her hand violently shaking in the air. "I don't need a man to be complete!"

"Congratulations!" Latasha yelled from the common room. "Now shut up and let me study!"

"Tell me what happened," Quistis said as her whip slapped her side. It was Tessa's first Recovery session and they were out walking the grounds of the Garden. There weren't many students out because it was raining, but Tessa loved the rain and was delighted to learn that her favourite instructor did as well.

"About what?" Tessa asked as she raised her right hand and danced around, fat raindrops falling onto her upturned face. "My attack?"

Quistis laughed and brushed a wet strand of hair on her forehead. "For starters. And don't worry, I'm just here to listen and offer insight, not judge."

Tessa stopped dancing and looked at Quistis with a puzzled look, her frizzy red hair plastered to her head by the rain. "No telling me that I was attacked by a T-Rexaur?"

"No telling you that you were attacked by a T-Rexaur," Quistis promised. She stepped over a large puddle of water as the wind picked up and began wildly blowing the hair of the two women.

"There was another student that I had treated and she became incredibly ill. I can't tell you who it was, doctor-patient confidentiality and all," Tessa said soberly.

Quistis brushed away a long trail of rainwater that had been traveling across her face. "You're not a doctor," she pointed out. "You're only a medical student."

"I know, Instructor," Tessa said as she kicked a large rock in her path. Her foot sunk into the mud and when she pulled it out there was a loud sucking noise. "Shit! This is going to take forever to clean."

"Antessence," Quistis said, trying to regain the attention of her pupil. "Forget about the mud and concentrate on me. What happened to you?"

Tessa scraped a large bit of mud from her shoe and stood up. She was glad that she hadn't been wearing her student uniform because she had to wipe the mud off on her pants. "Like I keep telling everyone, a blonde woman in a blue suit attacked me."

"Can you describe her further?" Quistis asked. She shook her head, her ponytail flying about. "What did she look like? Did she have an accent?"

"Actually," Tessa said as she thought back. "She did have an accent. In fact, it's very similar to mine."

"You think she was a student at Lotia Garden?" Quistis asked as she put her hand to her head in thought. "But why would she come here?"

"She wasn't from Lotia Garden," Tessa told her Instructor. "It was a small Garden, so I would've known her immediately. No, this woman had to be from Junon. I grew up there, and it's not that far from Lotia Garden."

"Junon?" Quistis said thoughtfully. "Isn't that one of the main Shinra headquarters?"

"It is the main Shinra headquarters," Tessa said. "Midgar was taken over by Galbadia last year during the Sorceress War, remember?"

"Actually, I hadn't ever learned that," Quistis told Tessa. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Instructor," Tessa beamed. She blinked several drops of rain out of her eyes. "Have you heard, though? Apparently the citizens of Midgar are preparing to try to overthrow the Galbadian representatives."

"I haven't," Quistis said with a laugh. "It's pretty clear I haven't paid enough attention to the current world. Now, let's get back on track. What else happened?"

"She kept talking about using Materia, and even managed to summon Odin!" Tessa gushed; excited to have someone listening that didn't immediately dismiss her. "Also, she compared SeeDs to something called SOLDIER."

Quistis stopped in her tracks and raised her right hand to her mouth with a gasp. "Did you just say SOLDIER?"

"Yes, Instructor," Tessa told Quistis with a curious look on her face. "The assailant mentioned SOLDIER. Why do you ask? Do you know what SOLDIER is?"

"Yes, I do," said Quistis, her voice filled with an emotion Tessa couldn't place. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to cut this session short. Excuse me." She turned around and ran away from Tessa, toward the main building of the Garden.

"Instructor!" Tessa yelled over the strengthening wind, but Quistis didn't stop. "Instructor!"

"Nasty out, isn't it?" Latasha said when Tessa walked into their dorm. She looked up from her book and saw Tessa soaked and dripping. "I'll take that as a yes."

Tessa didn't say anything. Rather, she just went into her room. She grabbed a fresh change of clothes and walked back into the common room. "I'm getting a shower."

"Knock yourself out," Latasha said. She stood up, snapping her book shut. "I'm meeting some friends at the library in a few minutes, anyway."

Tessa walked into the bathroom and set her clean clothes on the toilet lid. She grabbed a clean towel from a cupboard and heard the closing of the entrance door as Latasha left. After setting the towel on top of her clothes, Tessa painfully took off her wet shirt and tossed it into the hamper.

She looked in the mirror and touched her face. Her fingers lingered by her eyes for several seconds and she took a deep breath. _The doctors said that it wouldn't hurt to leave them in_, she thought as she turned her head from the mirror.

The bandage didn't have to be removed, and that relieved Tessa. She didn't want to see Dr. Kadowaki again. Tessa had been told that she'd attacked the doctor in a traumatized rage, though she remembered nothing that had happened.

Light grey rather than white, the bandage was flexible and completely waterproof, which meant it didn't need to be changed as often as other bandages. It was a new, just-released type of bandage. Dr. Kadowaki said that it was of the Umbrella brand.

Tessa knew that Umbrella had been shut down when she was little for some scandal, though details were limited as to what it was. When questioned about it, Kadowaki told Tessa that it was merely a change in management. However, when she tried to push the issue, Tessa was told that it was of little importance.

She finished undressing and climbed into the shower. She reached down and turned the coldwater tap. The water fell out of the showerhead and onto a startled Tessa, causing her to give a little yelp of shock. She jumped back from the main force, to where she was only receiving a misty spray, even if it was still incredibly cold.

Edging her way back to the taps, Tessa turned the hot on full blast. Within seconds the freezing water was steaming. Gritting her teeth, Tessa fiddled with the taps until she reached a happy medium. She then lifted her head and doused it in the stream. Her red hair, which had begun to dry out, fell flat and stuck to her head.

She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and popped open the lid with her thumb. Tessa turned the bottle upside-down and squirts an ample amount of clear gel onto her wet head. She lifts her right hand and begins to massage the shampoo into her hair, developing large, white foam.

Tessa frowned, though, because her mind was concentrated more on the events of earlier in the day than on her shower. She was wondering why Quistis had left in the middle of the session and was she had said to set her off.

_What the hell is SOLDIER_? Tessa thought as she dipped her head under the water, rinsing away the shampoo. _What does it have to do with me_?

"Tessa!" someone shouted as they pounded on the door to the bathroom. She spun her head around and Latasha dashed in.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tessa screamed. "Get out!"

"It's Sonje, something's happened. I need your help!" Latasha screamed back. "Some guy just attacked her!"

"Then get the Disciplinary committee," Tessa said as she shut the water off. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed her towel. "What good am I?"

"She's dying!" Latasha cried hysterically.

Tessa began to quickly dry herself, ignoring Latasha's blushing stare. "Then get Dr. Kadowaki. I'm only a student."

"Get Dr. Kadowaki?" Latasha said indignantly. "Don't you think I tried? Get dressed and let's go!" She grabbed the towel from Tessa's hand and threw it to the side.

Tessa glared at Latasha and picked up her shirt, a red and black bit of flannel. She didn't wear civilian clothes often but it was Eidan, the fifth of the five-day week. On Eidan all students and SeeDs were released from their Garden duties, though active SeeDs weren't. Also, the library and cafeteria closed early.

"Fine, I'll be right there. It's the library, right?" Tessa asked angrily. She believed that Latasha was dramatizing the situation.

"No, it's the lobby," Latasha said as she grabbed the shirt and helped Tessa put it on. "We were on our way to the lobby."

"And the guy that attacked her?" Tessa inquired.

"I don't know him. This Garden is huge, how could I?" Latasha said. Her breath was coming under control and she was calming down. "I just need your help."

Tessa finished dressing and followed Latasha out of the dorm. A few minutes later, they were in the lobby and Tessa was looking around for Sonje's body. "Where is she?"

"Over there," Latasha said as she pointed at the directory. "They dragged off the guy, though. He bit a lot of people."

"How was she injured?" Tessa asked as she walked over to Sonje. She knelt beside the girl and lifted her limp hand.

Sonje was a young girl of twelve with strawberry-blonde hair. She wore a pink shirt and was known to be a friend of the boy that was always seen running around the Garden.

"He grabbed her. She tried to push him away and fell, hitting her head on that thing," Latasha said as she pointed at the directory.

"She's fine, just unconscious," Tessa said as she let the girl's hand drop. She looked at the directory and saw a large blood spot. "Don't move her, though. Wait until Dr. Kadowaki gets here."

"Where is she, anyway?" Latasha asked.

A young student stepped out of the gathering crowd and raised his hand. "I saw her heading to the Administration Building about half an hour ago."

"Well, why didn't you get her?" Tessa said angrily. She stood up and walked over to him. Her finger jabbed itself painfully into his chest. "You are an ass. I'll go get her, then."

Tessa retracted her finger and pushed the student. He tripped and fell backward, landing on his butt. As she walked by, Tessa kicked his foot out of her way with a glare of contempt.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

A/N: Yet another OC shows up, and she makes Tessa look like a kitten!

**Sorceress Eternity** It's not that kind of Crossover fic. I haven't even planned involving RE characters past the Prologue (only Umbrella, which takes a backseat to another corporation

**DarklightZERO** I hadn't planned on the zombiefication of anyone other than OCs, but that's a great idea evil laugh

**Gullwing Yunie** Things don't fall into place for awhile. As of right now, I have almost 40 chapters written already, and some of the things are just being explained!

"Is Dr. Kadowaki here?" Tessa shouted when she reached the security booth. However, Fujin, as opposed to Seifer, staffed it.

Fujin glared at Tessa with her one eye and pounded her fist on the counter behind the glass. "WHY?"

"I need to see her because there was a student attacked in the lobby," Tessa said calmly. "Now can I get through?"

"GONE!" Fujin replied. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. Her eye was concentrated on Tessa, almost daring her to do something.

"Where did she go?" Tessa asked, knowing full well what Fujin's response would be. When the grey-haired woman didn't respond, Tessa turned around and stormed off angrily.

_This is so irresponsible_! she thought as she walked back into the Garden, stopping long enough to have her keycard checked. _The woman is neglecting her duties, and I'm stuck cleaning up her mess. I hope she gets reprimanded for this_.

The lobby was empty and Latasha was standing by the directory, clearly waiting for Tessa to get back. "So?"

"She's not here. She's not at the Garden," Tessa told her. She looked around, "Where's Sonje?"

"Some of the guys took her to the infirmary. They figured they'd wait for Kadowaki in there," she said.

"You know what? I don't care," Tessa fumed. "I'm just a student, and a girl to boot! What do I know? How could I dare advise people as to how to practice medicine when I've only been studying it for four years?"

Tessa stormed off, walked up to the elevator, and mashed the "UP" button. She stood waiting and when it finally dinged and the doors opened, a flood of people poured out. She slid in and waited in the back as other people piled into the elevator.

"I'm Lila," a SeeD beside Tessa said. She held out a hand, which Tessa ignored.

"I don't care," Tessa told her. "Leave me alone now."

Lila's face fell and she withdrew her hand. "Bitch," she muttered, which caused Tessa to break out in a smile. The elevator dinged again and the doors opened. Everyone stepped off, Tessa among them.

There was a balcony on the second floor and it often went unused. In fact, Tessa had never remembered it ever having been used for anything during all of her time at the Garden. She believed it to be the perfect place to get a break from everything.

"Hey there, Sweet Thang!" someone yelled. "You look hotter'n a pepper in a bowl o' chili."

_Oh God_, Tessa thought as she covered her face with her hands. She did not have the patience to deal with whom she knew was heading her way. _Anyone but him_.

"Howdy, Miss Matleo," Irvine Kinneas said as he sidled up next to her. "I haven't seen ya in awhile. Where've you been hidin'?"

"Behind the rock you crawled out from under," Tessa said as she stepped away from him. "What the hell do you want?"

"Just to talk," Irvine said as he made an "X" over his heart. "I promise."

"You have two minutes; talk," Tessa said as she folded her arms across her chest. They were still on the platform between the hallway with the classrooms and the elevator, so she leaned against the railing and stared at Irvine with an upturned eyebrow.

"See, we didn't have a Garden Festival last year and Selphie really wants one this year…"

"And you want me to join the Committee," Tessa finished. She shook her head and laughed. "Costa del Sol would have to freeze over first."

"Come on," Irvine pleaded. "It would mean a lot to her… and me."

"I said, 'no,'" Tessa told Irvine as she walked past him. "So leave me the fuck alone. Go die or something you pathetic loser."

She walked past the classrooms and an emergency exit. At the end of the hallway was a door marked, "BALCONY." She pushed the door open and ran into a cloud of smoke.

"Are you a narc?" someone asked through the smoke.

"What?" Tessa asked as she shut the door and walked out of the smoke. She knew the smell, loved it. She was suddenly craving it.

"Are you a narc? You know, a stool-pigeon?" the same person asked. Tessa looked around and saw a girl perched on the rail.

She had a cigarette in her mouth and was wearing a SeeD uniform. Her hair was cut short except for the bangs, which were long and covered her face, and died a deep violet; she was wearing heavy white mascara on her face and neck; and the eye shadow she sported was an extremely dark blue. Around her neck was a black collar, but instead of tags, it bore a half-heart charm. "Well?"

"Well what?" Tessa asked. She was still marvelling at the sight in front of her. "What would I rat you out for?"

"Smoking," the SeeD said simply. "Apparently SeeDs are supposed to be in top physical shape or some other bullshit like that."

"I'm not a narc," Tessa told her. "So you can keep smoking."

"I was going to anyway," the SeeD said. Then she reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You want one?"

_You quit, remember?_ A small voice in Tessa's head screamed. However, a louder one was also screaming and covering up the first. _Just smoke one; it's not that big of a deal!_

"Sure," Tessa said as she reached out and took a cigarette from the pack. "Can I get a light?"

The SeeD held out her hand and a small flame appeared. Tessa stuck the cigarette in her mouth and leaned up to the flame. The tip of the cigarette lit up and Tessa took a long drag to make sure it really was lit.

"Thanks," she said as she blew smoke out of her nose. _God this feels good. Why did I quit?_

"Whatever," the SeeD said as she closed her hand, extinguishing the flame. "Just don't blame me if you get sick. A lot of girls here try to smoke just so they look cool and end up puking their guts out."

"Believe me, that won't happen," Tessa said as she took another drag. She leaned her head back and formed an "O" with her mouth. The smoke came out in little rings that quickly dispersed.

"Impressive," the SeeD said. "So, who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Tessa."

"Most people call me Jayne, you'd do well to remember that," the SeeD said as she took the cigarette from her mouth and flicked it, still lit, over the railing. "The last person stupid enough to call me 'Jane' got his ass kicked. I'd hate to ruin your pretty little face."

"Bite me," Tessa said as she took another drag from her cigarette. "If anyone would get hurt it'd be you."

"Ooh, spicy," Jayne said condescendingly. "You're just my type."

"Type?" Tessa asked. "What the hell does that mean?"

Jayne jumped down from the railing and walked to Tessa. She put her face right up to Tessa's and grinned. She licked her lips and looked Tessa over. "You'll figure it out someday. Unless you get yourself a man like every other brain dead bimbo in this hellhole."

"Fuck off," Tessa said as she took the cigarette in her hand and blew the smoke in Jayne's face. "I don't need some idiotic man screwing up my life."

Jayne smiled through the smoke and stepped back. "Hmm, maybe you're not as stupid as everyone else around here. That's a very good thing to find out. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Tessa watched as Jayne walked past her and opened the door. She went into the Garden, and closed the door behind her. Tessa threw the cigarette on the floor and stamped it out, having already smoked away most of it. She narrowed her eyes and thought aloud, "What the hell was that all about?"


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

A/N: Someone from Tessa's past arrives at Garden, and it pisses her off like nothing ever could! Not much action, but a lot of information about this weird little world of mine comes to light. Also, a secret of Quistis's past is revealed as well.

**DarklightZERO** Awesome, I loved the clothes in the 1920's! (flappers totally rock!)

It became a regular thing, Tessa and Jayne meeting on the balcony for a smoke. Sometimes they would talk, but they usually puffed away in silent moments of stolen bliss. Tessa didn't regret her return to tobacco. In fact, she found it empowering. She liked the feeling of having a secret.

"You know," Jayne said after a few weeks, "they're announcing exam assignments tomorrow." The moody SeeD took a drag from her cigarette and flicked the ashes onto the metal floor.

Tessa jumped up, a cigarette falling from her mouth. It rolled across the floor with the aide of a breeze. "Are you serious?"

Jayne rolled her eyes and took another drag, finishing off the cigarette in her hand. She tossed the butt over her shoulder and onto the ground below. She licked her lips and stood up from her perch on the railing. "Why else would I say it?"

The question went unanswered and Tessa sat down. Her seat was a set of stairs leading to a large vat that served no known purpose. "I wonder what I'll be assigned. I've already completed all of my prerequisites. Unconsciously, she stroked a pin on her shirt. It was silver and shaped like a bird; a phoenix captured in mid-flight.

"I couldn't care less," Jayne responded. She walked over to and opened the door leading back inside the Garden. "Still, I've got to say good luck."

"Thanks," Tessa said. She smiled and looked at her feet. She pulled out another cigarette and lit it.

"I noticed you lost your bulk," Jayne said with a smirk. "And I must say, it suits you!"

Jayne walked through the doorway and left Tessa clueless and curious. _Bulk_?

"Yes, exam assignments are released tomorrow," Quistis told her Introduction to Basic Magic class. "I'm only telling you now because I want to keep your attention. Only two of you qualified, so don't waste my time by asking."

"Tessa!" Aili whispered loudly. She was sitting behind Tessa, so Tessa had to turn around. "It's a given you qualified. So, who do you think the other person is?"

"It's probably Tulia. She's in my Advanced White Magic class," Tessa whispered back.

"It's not Tulia," Aili said quietly. Quistis was busy lecturing on rare and powerful spells, too busy to notice the two gossipers. "She failed her stealth prerequisite. She's an Espionage major, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but if it's not Tulia, then who is it? I mean, the only reason I'm in here is because Dr. Kadowaki suggested I learn Basic Black Magic so I could protect myself," Tessa said as she rubbed her neck. "Besides, it might come in handy in the medical field."

"How?" Aili asked skeptically. "Do you use Water to flush out wounds?"

"Maybe," Tessa said with a shrug. "Most likely it would be using Thunder if a defibulator were unavailable or Blizzard as an emergency coolant in cases of high fever, though I've yet to hear of either usage."

"Miss Matleo, please pay attention," Quistis said irritably. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and sighed as Tessa whirled around and sank into her seat. "You too, Aili."

"Yes, Instructor," both girls moaned. "I'm sorry, Instructor."

"Anyway, can anyone tell me what the most powerful White Magic spell is?" Quistis asked the class as she turned away from Tessa and Aili. When no one spoke up, Quistis stamped her foot out of frustration. "Really, no one knows?"

Tessa's hand shot up, waving around but ignored. Quistis was looking around the rest of the room and Tessa was practically jumping out of her seat. Sighing, Quistis called on Tessa. "Yes, Miss Matleo?"

"It's Dispel," Tessa said with a large smile. "The ability to remove positive spell effects, such as Haste and Reflect, from your opponent."

Quistis smiled but shook her head. "I see Professor Aki is still teaching that to his Medical majors, but it's incorrect."

"Really?" Tessa said with disappointment in her voice. "Then it has to be either Esuna or Full-Life."

"I'm sorry, but both are wrong," Quistis said. "It's a spell that isn't taught to Medical majors, but it is taught to higher level White Mages."

Tessa was dumbstruck; she had no idea what the spell could be. With one last guess, she raised her hand again. "Is it Full-Cure?"

"I'm sorry," Quistis said. "Those were all good answers, and I'm impressed that you even knew about Full-Cure. Still, the spell I want to know about has no restorative or status properties."

"Then it can't be White Magic," another student said. "White Magic is defined as healing and status magic; Black Magic is magic that causes harm; and Blue Magic is magic learned by certain Mages after a battle."

"Very good," Quistis said with a nod. "But the spell is Holy. Holy is defined as White Magic because many people believe that it's 'Pure Magic' like Curaga or Life. However, Holy is the only White Magic that causes damage."

"That's not true instructor," Tessa said. Everyone's eyes shot to her and Quistis's mouth developed into a smirk. "I hadn't been taught about Holy by Professor Aki, but he did teach about White Magic that can cause damage."

"You are absolutely correct Miss Matleo, it isn't. I was hoping someone other than you would catch me, though," Quistis sat on her desk and crossed her legs. "Could someone other than Miss Matleo tell me what they are?"

"Spells such as Cura and Life, in addition to items like Potions and Phoenix Downs, harm Zombie monsters and people with Zombie status," Aili said behind Tessa. "I learned that in my Status class."

"I see that Instructor Galhan is doing a good job with her Status class," Quistis said appraisingly. "However, that wasn't what I had in mind. I am glad you brought it up, though. Still, does anyone know any other spells?"

"I had a friend use a Drain spell on me once," Phelan said. Tessa looked at him in astonishment. "We were training and he had Drain junctioned to his sword. It didn't do much damage to me, though. He isn't very good at magic."

"Very good!" Quistis said happily as she uncrossed her legs. "Drain is one of the spells I was wanting. The thing about Drain is… Yes, Miss Matleo?"

Tessa had raised her hand, certain that she knew the answer. "Drain, when taught at Gardens, is considered White Magic, but only Black Mages can use it outside of a Garden facility. That means that Drain is in a unique magical 'limbo.'"

"Correct," Quistis said unenthusiastically. "Miss Matleo, I am glad you know all of this, but I would like to gauge the knowledge of the rest of the students. So if you don't mind…"

"Sorry, Instructor," Tessa said as she slid as low in her seat as she could. People in the class were sniggering, but Quistis didn't hear them.

"That's okay, I know that you weren't trying to be a nuisance," Quistis said as Tessa's face grew as red as her hair. "Now, can anyone else tell me of a spell that is considered White Magic and does damage?"

"Doesn't Meltdown cause damage?" another student asked. "My granddad told me that when he fought in the Second Sorceress War, some of the soldiers were using a spell known as Meltdown that caused damage and reduced vitality."

"Absolutely correct! Good job Miss Invern," Quistis said happily. "Okay, moving on, does anyone know what exactly a Mage is and how many types there are?"

"A Mage is defined as non-Military and non-Garden personnel that can use magic," a boy in the back of the room said. "And there are four types, as of right now: Black, White, Red, and Blue."

"Absolutely correct," Quistis said. Then, out of astonishment, "How did you know?"

"I come from a long line of Mages," the boy said. "My parents are both Mages, in fact."

"Can I get your name?" Quistis asked. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you."

"Oh, I'm a new student. I just transferred and today is my first day," the boy said as he stood up. He had brown-tinted skin. The tan was a sure sign of a Costa del Sol resident. His hair was white as snow and he spoke in a slow drawl. Tessa knew him immediately. "I'm Hunter Vance."

Quistis gasped and Tessa rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming. "Of the Corel Vances?"

"None other," Hunter said with a laugh as he sat down. "But please, forget I'm a Vance and continue to teach."

"Very well," Quistis said as she regained her composure. "Can anyone tell me what a White Mage is?"

Tessa sat up and angrily thrust her hand into the air. "A White Mage is a person specializing in White Magic. Traditionally, they would travel and heal people across the world, though today many White Mages have decided to remain in small towns where they become advisors for the town elders."

"Very good," Quistis said with a raised eyebrow. "And what is a Black Mage?"

"They used to be known as Evil Mages," Hunter said from the back. "Because they practiced Black Magic they were feared and persecuted. However, today they have taken up the pilgrimages once taken by White Mages. But instead of healing people, Black Mages use their Magic to destroy monsters harassing the towns."

"Thank you Mr. Vance," said Quistis. "And a Red…"

Before Quistis had her question finished, Tessa had her hand up and was already answering. "Red Mages are travelers than can use both Black and White Magic. However, because it is difficult for the two to coexist peacefully, Red Mages usually only master the basic levels, although there are special cases of Red Mages learning Secondary Magic such as Cura and Fira."

"Red Mages are also pictured as the heroes in the local legends of many small villages," drawled Hunter. "In fact, the Great Mage Society classifies SeeDs, Garden students, and soldiers that use magic as Red Mages."

"But the Society is conflicted as to whether or not they will permit SeeDs the title of Mage," Tessa said loudly. "This is because the nature of a Mage is to help people and they believe the nature of SeeDs is to harm people."

"But not all members of the Society agree with that assessment," Hunter said even louder. "In fact, there have been many advances made by the Great Mage Society to try to work with Gardens."

Tessa turned around and glared at Hunter. "I wasn't aware of that. When did this occur?"

"About a month after you left Lotia Garden," Hunter boasted. "A representative arrived and offered to send Mages as instructors if the Garden would work with the Society in its aim for world peace. Of course, the Garden turned her down, but there is still discussion within the Society as to whether or not they should approach larger Gardens with such an offer."

"That doesn't make sense," Tessa said. "Just last year the Society threatened Lotia Garden with sanctions if it didn't stop deploying SeeDs into its new headquarters on Goblin Island."

"But Lotia Garden did stop sending SeeDs there. There was a falling out with the clients paying to have them sent there," Hunter said. "As a matter of fact…"

"Hold on," Quistis yelled, startling both students. Tessa spun around and stared at her. "You two seem to be quite a bit ahead of the rest of the class, so I'll take over if you don't mind."

"Yes, Instructor," Tessa said in a low voice.

"Of course, Madam," Hunter said loudly. Tessa rolled her eyes and cursed under her breath.

"Last of all are Blue Mages," Quistis said, her gaze still shifting from the bitter Tessa to the exuberant Hunter. "Blue Mages are unique in that they learn their magic from either their opponents or with the aide of special items."

"Items like Enemy Skill Materia?" the girl sitting beside Tessa asked.

"Actually," Quistis said with a sigh, "that's incorrect. By definition, anyone that uses Materia is disqualified from Mage status. Enemy Skill Materia does allow one to use magic learned from an opponent, but it is the Materia learning the ability and not the person."

"Oh, okay," the girl said, clearly embarrassed. "I was just wondering."

"Blue Mages aren't like the other three because you don't become a Blue Mage, you're born a Blue Mage. Either you can use Blue Magic or you can't, and those that can are very hard to find and are usually revered by the other three," Quistis told the class. "However, Blue Mages often find it hard to learn anything because most opponents often use the same attacks as others, and the items that teach them abilities are incredibly rare and hard to find."

"Instructor," Tessa said as she raised her hand. Quistis stiffened but nodded for Tessa to continue. "Aren't you a Blue Mage?"

There was a large clamour in the room and Quistis had to yell to regain control. ""Where did you hear that, Miss Matleo?"

"I read an article in the recently re-opened _Timber Maniacs_ that said you used the ability Laser Eye in your escape from the D-District Prison in Galbadia," Tessa said. "Isn't Laser Eye an ability known by many of the Blue Mages that use items to learn abilities?"

"Yes," Quistis said in an almost apologetic tone. She looked at the floor for several seconds, and when she looked up her eyes were wet. "I have the abilities to be a Blue Mage, but I'm not a Blue Mage."

"Why not?" Phelan asked.

"Because she's a SeeD," Hunter said in awe. "As it stands now, the Great Mage Society doesn't fully recognize SeeDs as Mages, not even Blue Mages."

"But I thought you said we were classified as Red Mages," Phelan said.

"Classified, not accepted," Tessa explained. "It's very complicated."

"That's correct," Quistis said in a trembling voice. Tessa immediately regretted asking her question and felt a wave of shame wash over her. "I'm sorry, but I have to dismiss you early today."

There was a long silence as everyone stood up and gathered their books. Tessa was at the door when Quistis finally spoke again. "Miss Matleo? I would appreciate it if you and Mr. Vance would stay behind."

Aili mouthed "Why?" at Tessa, who just shrugged out of confusion. Tessa stood off to the side and watched as everyone else left, with the exception of Hunter, who was still at his console in the back.

"Come here, please," Quistis said as she wiped her eyes. "I apologize for my unprofessional demeanour."

"It's okay, Instructor," Tessa said, unnerved by the sight of her role model crying.

"Don't worry about it," Quistis said, her voice growing authoritative again. "I wanted to talk to you two about what happened in class between you. Do you know each other?"

"Yes, Madam, we do," Hunter said. "We both attended Lotia Garden for several years, but Antessence transferred here a few months before I had the opportunity to."

"It's Tessa," Tessa corrected through gritted teeth. "Only Instructors and people in other positions of authority call me Antessence."

"Antessence, don't be rude!" Quistis ordered, clearly shocked. "Continue, Mr. Vance."

"That's about it," Hunter said with a shrug. "Why?"

"Never mind," Quistis said with a wave. "Go on, get out of here."

"Yes, Instructor," Tessa said.

"Yes, Madam," Hunter said with a bow.

_Suck up_, Tessa thought bitterly. She turned around and stormed out of the room. Aili was waiting by the elevator, clearly wanting to know what had happened.

"Well?" she asked as Tessa pushed the down button.

"She didn't say much," Tessa told her. "Don't ask me why."

"Not that!" Aili said. "What was going on with you and the cute new guy?"

"Cute!" Tessa said, nearly gagging. "He is one of the most pretentious assholes I've ever met! I can't believe he followed me here!"

"I followed you?" Hunter said as he walked up to the two girls. "I didn't follow you. I just transferred after you did, that's all."

"Fuck off, Hunter," Tessa said angrily. "Leave me the hell alone."

"But of course," Hunter said with a smirk and bow. "Anything for my lady."

"His… lady?" Aili said quietly. She looked at Tessa with a grin plastered across her face. "You're his lady?"

"Actually, I'm the only one who wasn't," Tessa said in an annoyed tone. She glared at Hunter, but he didn't leave. "But, there were only five other girls in our class at Lotia Garden."

"Well, there are far more lovely women here, anyway," Hunter said as he looked over a giggling Aili. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, making Tessa want to wretch.

"Go away, Hunter," Tessa said as she hit kicked the elevator doors. "I'm not kidding."

"Aw, come on," Aili said as Hunter removed his lips from her hand and looked up. "Lighten up."

"Until we meet again," Hunter said to Aili with a smile. "Farewell, Antessence."

"It's Tessa, you stupid bastard!" she yelled at his retreating form. "Get it right or I'll kick you ass!"

"Jeez," Aili said as she looked from Tessa to Hunter. "He didn't seem that bad."

"He never does," Tessa said as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen:

A/N: EXAM TIME! Tessa prepares for the test that determines whether or not she becomes a SeeD. Also, an important new OC shows up, and immediately clashes with our "beloved" heroine.

**Gullwing Yunie** Thanks. I really want to give thisfic more than the usual point-shoot-kill story line that most zombie fics have. It's boring, I know, but these chapters are essential for the action, right?

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The next morning the library was crowded and the library staff was finding it hard to keep control. Rather than put them on the Garden Network, someone thought it was a good idea to post the exam assignments on the library's bulletin board. Tessa found herself on the outside, trying to push through the throng of students with little success.

"Tessa!" someone called out. "Tessa!"

"Who is it?" she yelled. "What do you want?"

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to start. She turned around and saw Phelan standing behind her. "You don't need to go in there."

"Yes I do," she said, slightly annoyed. "I need my exam assignment."

"That's what I'm saying. I already have it," Phelan said as he held up a piece of paper. "I have a friend on the library staff and he got me a copy of the exams before the rush."

"Give it to me," Tessa said as she snatched the paper from his hand. She poured over it until she found her name. "What the hell is this?"

"I know," Phelan said. "I was on my way over there when I saw you."

The paper had Tessa and two other people, Phelan and a person named Adette Berna, reporting to Headmaster Cid for further instructions. Tessa's hands were shaking out of nerves, but Phelan didn't notice. She was nervous because she hadn't seen the Headmaster since the night of her attack.

"I'll walk you over," Phelan said as he took her arm in his. However, Tessa jerked it away as though she were on fire.

"I can walk myself," Tessa said. "I don't need an escort."

"Well, I'm already headed there, so we can at least walk together," Phelan told her. "Is that okay with you?"

"Just don't do anything stupid," Tessa said warily. "I've got an eye on you."

"He'll be with you shortly," the Headmaster's receptionist said. She was looking at Tessa oddly, but neither one remembered the exchange they'd last had. "Just wait over there."

She pointed to the bench Tessa had sat on last time, but there was already someone sitting there. She was short, thin, and had straight black hair that fell down to her shoulders.

"You must be Adette," Phelan said as he offered his hand. "I'm Phelan and this is Tessa."

"Nice to meet you, Phelan," the girl said. She shook his hand and then stuck hers in front of Tessa. "Tessa."

"Howdy," Tessa said sarcastically, not taking Adette's hand. "How long have you been here?"

"About an hour," Adette said as she dropped her hand to her side. "I was one of the first to see the exam list."

"I wonder what we're doing," Phelan said as he sat beside Adette. "It didn't say very much."

"Don't ask me, I'm just as clueless as you are," Adette said with a shrug. "But it's probably something incredibly important."

"Hah!" Tessa said loud enough to draw the attention of the receptionist. "If it were important, why send students? Especially ones like him?"

"Why are you being so rude?" Adette asked. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm Antessence Matleo, Queen of the Universe," she responded sarcastically. "Now I demand you worship me."

"Oh, she's just being Tessa," Phelan said as he laid a hand on Adette's shoulder. "Don't take her seriously, only she does."

Tessa scoffed and walked over to the receptionist. "How much longer?"

"He will be with you shortly," the receptionist repeated. "Please have a seat."

"Hey, I have important things to do, just give me a timetable or something," Tessa demanded. She leaned on the desk and glared at the receptionist.

"Is she insane?" Adette asked Phelan. Tessa stood still and listened.

"Nah, she just wants everyone to think she's tough," he said.

"I can hear you," Tessa said in a singsong voice.

"I'm ready for the students," Cid said when he opened his office door. He looked at Tessa, and then decided to turn to the other two. "If you three would please come with me."

Tessa pushed off the desk and walked into the office, followed by Phelan and Adette. The office hadn't changed at all; it looked exactly the same. Standing off to the side was a SeeD that Tessa thought she recognized, but she couldn't place her.

"Sit down, please," Cid said. Phelan and Adette sat down in hard wooden chairs. Tessa chose to stand and put her hands on the back of Phelan's chair and leaned forward. "I'm sure you know by now that you have a special assignment for your exam," (Phelan and Adette both look at Tessa with "told you so" looks on their faces) "and I'm also confident that you have not so much as an inkling as to what it is."

"That's true, Sir," Tessa said in agreement. _Does this man think we're stupid or something_? she thought irritably.

"The reason your exam wasn't on the list was because you three have been specially selected. You are going to be taking an extended exam that could take up to a week to complete," Cid said as he sat down in his own chair. "You will be doing a fact-finding mission. We lost contact with a team in Galbadia City and we're sending you to find out why."

"Reconnaissance?" Tessa said in shock. "We're reconnaissance? How does that test our abilities?"

"I'm sure you were expecting something a little more exciting, but this is very important nonetheless. You will be led by a very capable SeeD, Xu," he gestured to the SeeD standing in the room before continuing. "And you have a secondary objective as well."

"What is it, Sir?" Phelan asked, clearly unsure of how to conduct himself. "Does it involve the use of our skills?"

Cid leaned back in his chair and looked at Phelan. "Ah, yes, your skills are all quite remarkable. I know Miss Matleo is a more than capable physician, but you two don't stand out as much. I hope that by exposing you to her forcible personality, you will become more confident.

"Mr. Barson, you're a great swordsman, but you underestimate yourself. Your Combat Instructor tells me that you have great potential. Miss Berna, you are an expert marksman…"

"Person," Tessa interjected. Immediately afterward, she felt like kicking herself.

"Ah, yes, I mean you're a good shot, but I'm told that you're not fast enough of a draw," Cid said as he straightened his glasses. "And Miss Matleo…"

"What is it, Sir?" Tessa asked. She didn't know why she kept interrupting Cid, but she had a sudden feeling of distrust. "What's wrong with me?"

"Aside from your blatant disregard for authority?" Cid shot, effectively shutting her up. "I want to improve your people skills. Many of your Instructors have informed me that, while highly skilled, you often fight with your classmates. I even witnessed one while you were being taught by Instructor Blair."

"You came to my Martial Arts class?" Tessa was shocked. Even her friends didn't go with her to Martial Arts.

"You take Martial Arts?" Phelan said in awe. "I guess you weren't being arrogant when you said you were going to kick my ass."

"Quiet!" Adette said with a shove to Phelan. She turned to Cid and said, "Please continue, Headmaster. You mentioned a second objective?"

"Yes, you three will also be supporting the escort of Miss Rinoa Heartilly. She wished to go to Galbadia City and will accompany you there. Her escort can bring her back on his own though."

"When do we leave, Sir?" Phelan asked.

"You leave tomorrow. You will meet at the parking garage at 800 hours and Xu will explain the rest of your exam when you get there," Cid said. "You are dismissed."

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"I'm leaving tomorrow," Tessa said later that day. She'd done her goodbyes with her friends and had her supplies packed and waiting in her room.

"Am I supposed to care?" Jayne asked as she took a drag off her cigarette. Tessa wasn't smoking, but she was on the balcony, anyway.

"Just thought you should know," Tessa said. "I am a little nervous. It's my first exam."

"If you do it right it'll be your last," Jayne told her.

Tessa's hair was blown into her face by the wind and she brushed it away with her hand. She turned around and had her hand on the door into the Garden. "Well, I've got to get going."

"Hey, wait," Jayne said with a trail of smoke exiting her mouth. "Come here."

Tessa turned around and walked to the older girl. "What is it?"

Jayne's cigarette drooped in her mouth and her left hand was rubbing a finger on her right. "When I took my first exam my roommate gave me this ring for good luck. I haven't taken it off since."

"What does it have to do with me?" Tessa asked as her hair blew in her face again.

"Heh," Jayne laughed as she jumped off the railing. She pushed Tessa's hair away and put their faces up against each other. "I just thought you'd appreciate this."

Jayne reached behind her neck and undid her collar. She pressed it in Tessa's hand and smiled. "Good luck out there. You'll need it; everyone does."

"Thanks?" Tessa said, confused.

"Peace out, or some shit like that," Jayne said. Then she spun Tessa around and gave her a shove in the direction of the door.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

A/N: This is the token "comedic" chapter, showing just how grown up the SeeDs and SeeD candidates are, or should I say aren't? R&R!

"We will be going from the Garden to Balamb," Xu told the three students under her charge. "From there we will take the train to Timber, and when we get to Timber we will make our connection and get on the train to Galbadia City."

"When are Miss Heartilly and her escort to arrive, Madam?" Adette asked as she shouldered her traveling case.

"Any minute now," Xu said as she checked her watch. She was wearing a sky blue blouse and cerulean skirt. The three students were also wearing civilian clothes: Adette in a black sleeveless shirt and khaki shorts; Phelan in a body-hugging red muscle-shirt and jeans; and Tessa was sporting her usual combination of flannel and blue jeans.

"Can we at least load our stuff?" Tessa asked, her backpack growing heavy in her hand.

"Yes," Xu said unenthusiastically. "And do try to be more respectful of your superiors."

"Sure thing," Tessa said with a sarcastic salute. She popped open the trunk of the vehicle and threw her backpack in it. Phelan followed suit and tossed his pack, which was considerably smaller, in. Adette gently lowered her own in.

"You look different," Phelan told Tessa as he peered at her. He had brought his sword and wore it in a sheath at his side. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

"She's wearing Jayne's collar," Xu said without looking at them. "I'd recognize it anywhere. I just wonder how she got it."

"Who's Jayne?" Phelan asked.

Tessa cracked the knuckles of her left hand. She was wearing black gloves with the fingers cut off, so that her own pale fingers poking through. "Drop it."

"They're here, Madam," Adette said. Tessa turned and saw a woman in a blue dress walking toward them. On her right hand was what looked like a small black and red kite: a projectile weapon. Flanking her were two people, a man and woman.

Tessa recognized the second woman right away; it was her favourite Instructor, Quistis Trepe. The man looked familiar, with his spiked blonde hair and tattooed face.

"Hello, Xu," Quistis said. "We would've been here earlier, but Zell and I couldn't find Rinoa. Apparently she felt it proper to stop by the library before leaving."

"Sorry," Rinoa said as she waved the hand with the weapon on it. "I just wanted something to read on the train."

"It's okay, Miss Rinoa," Xu said as she lowered her hand from her forehead.

"You guys don't have to salute me, I'm not a SeeD," Rinoa said with a laugh. "Be more like the girl in plaid; be laid back."

Tessa looked around and realized she was the only one not saluting Rinoa. "Sorry, Rinoa," Tessa said with a hasty salute.

"Be more respectful!" Xu snapped. "Miss Rinoa may not be a SeeD, but she is still important to this Garden and doesn't deserve your insolence!"

Rinoa laughed and crossed her arms. "Xu, we've known each other how long? You don't have to call me 'Miss Rinoa,' and neither should these students."

"Fine," Xu said. "Antessence, Phelan, load their stuff, we're leaving."

Tessa took a bag from the man named Zell and Phelan grabbed the two Rinoa carried. Quistis didn't have a bag. She tossed the bag in the trunk and climbed into the vehicle. Xu was behind the wheel, waiting for Tessa and Phelan to get in

Adette was sitting in the back, beside Zell. Quistis was sitting in the front with Xu, which left Tessa to sit beside either Adette or Rinoa.

"Why don't you sit here?" Rinoa said as she patted the seat beside her. "There's plenty of room."

Tessa sat beside Rinoa, unable to speak. The vehicle shook as Phelan slammed the trunk shut. He climbed in after Tessa and sat beside Adette, leaving Tessa to shut the door.

"We're ready to go," Quistis told Xu, who in turn started the engine. She flipped a switch on the vehicle's dashboard and a large door began to roll up against the roof of the parking garage.

Turning away from Rinoa, Tessa said, "I didn't know you were coming, Instructor."

"I'm not coming, Miss Matleo," Quistis said. "I'm here to drive the vehicle back to Garden. That's about the extent of my duties. However, I must say it will be a dull five days without you in my class."

"Oh, is this the girl you keep talking about?" Zell said loudly. "The know-it-all who won't shut up?"

"Zell!" Rinoa and Quistis both yelled as Tessa looked at the floor in embarrassment.

"Hey, I didn't… I mean…" Zell stuttered.

"Don't worry about him," Rinoa said as she put a hand on Tessa's back. "He has cement for brains and a big mouth, so don't take him seriously."

"Actually, he's a lot like me, then," Tessa said as she looked up with a grin on her face. "Minus the cement, of course."

"Hey!" Zell yelled, making everyone in the vehicle laugh, except Xu who remained silent.

Tessa looked at the vehicle's other occupants. Adette and Phelan were conversing with Zell, who was boasting of his many exploits in his fight against Ultimecia's forces the year before. Rinoa seemed to know that Tessa wasn't interested, because she tapped her on the shoulder.

"Do you know who I am?" Rinoa asked pleasantly.

"You're Rinoa Heartilly," Tessa said. "The woman who fought against Sorceress Ultimecia."

"Yeah, I'm also a Sorceress," Rinoa said with a laugh. "I don't use my powers, though. After the fight I went to Esthar and had Dr. Odine put this on me."

"Is that an Odine brand Magic Containment Bangle?" Tessa said in awe.

"Yeah, it is," Rinoa confirmed. "I wear it everyday and every night. I take it you do the same with your collar?"

"Huh?" Tessa said. "What are you talking about?"

"This," Rinoa said with a laugh as she stuck her finger between the collar and Tessa's neck. "I've never seen anyone wear a collar before. I must say it is quite interesting, though."

"I got it from a friend, actually," Tessa said, unsure of whether or not she was lying.

"What does this mean?" Rinoa asked as she fingered the half-heart charm.

"I never thought to ask," Tessa said. "I don't really know."

Rinoa laughed and shook her head. "You're more like Zell than you know. You tried to put on a tough gal exterior, all cool and silent. Yet all it took was jewellery to get you to loosen up."

"Hah, Tessa is a girl!" Phelan said with a laugh.

"I will rip your leg off and beat you to death with it!" Tessa yelled back as she hit her left palm with her right fist.

"Dude, you're a Martial Artist, too!" Zell yelled as he showed Tessa his own gloves. "You're like a weaker version of me!"

"Weaker?" Tessa yelled. "Why, because I'm a girl? This girl is going to kick your ass if you say something like that again. I don't care if you helped beat a Sorceress from the future!"

"Shut up back there!" Xu yelled. "I will turn this car around and make you all fail your exams!"

By the time Xu finished, Rinoa was laughing her head off. Tessa turned to her an incredulous look on her face. "You planned this didn't you?"

"Hey, they didn't let me get a book, so I had to entertain myself somehow," Rinoa said with a laugh and shrug.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

A/N: Just because I felt like it, the "blonde woman" returns! Oh, and we learn Big Bad Rascal's name. Really, though, this chapter isn't anything to write home about. J

"Goodbye, Instructor," Tessa yelled as Quistis drove away. The sextet was standing outside the entrance to Balamb. Tessa hadn't been to Balamb since she'd first arrived at Balamb Garden, and as a result hadn't really seen the town.

"Let's go," Xu said. The students picked up their bags and walked into the town. Tessa had only one change of clothes, a book, and a small amount of medical supplies in hers, yet it was surprisingly heavy. Grunting, she followed.

"Here, let me help," Zell said as he reached for Tessa's bag, but she stepped out of his reach and growled at him.

"I guess the collar is appropriate, then," he joked. He didn't notice he was the only one laughing, though.

"Hey, Zell, you see your Mom yet?" someone sitting on a bench yelled.

"Saw her yesterday!" Zell yelled back. "I'm on Garden business today."

A small boy ran up to the group and started talking to Zell. "My mom says I can go to the Garden after my next birthday."

"Well, your mom's a smart woman," Zell said. He slapped the boy on the back and laugh. "See you later, Rascal."

"Hey, my name's Seyton!" the boy yelled angrily. He kicked Zell in the shin and ran off before he could get caught.

"He's pretty popular," Tessa said to Phelan.

"Well, he did grow up in Balamb, so of course he's well known. This is a pretty small town, too. The Garden's population is larger," Phelan explained.

"Xu, do we have time to stop bye and see my mom?" Zell asked. "She'd be so thrilled to find out I'm leading an exam!"

"You're not leading an exam, I am," Xu corrected. "And we don't have time."

"Come on!" Zell yelled. "Quit being so uptight!"

"Zell, grow up," Rinoa said. "We have an hour to get on the train, so let's just go to the train station already."

"Dude!" Zell yelled.

Tessa was incredibly annoyed. She dropped her bag and walked over to Zell. She pushed him back and began yelling. "This is my exam! This determines whether or not I can become a SeeD. It may not mean much to you, but it means a hell of a lot to me. I don't need some stupid man wanting his mommy ruining it, are we clear?"

"Y-yeah," Zell said.

"Good," Tessa spat. She walked back to her bag and picked it up, waiting to be reprimanded by Xu. However, Xu had a large smile on her face.

"Thanks for shutting him up," she said. "I've never met anyone that could do it so quickly, aside from Squall."

"Can we just go?" Tessa asked.

"Sure," Xu said. She led the way, with Zell lagging behind and sulking.

"Hey," Rinoa said as she put an arm around Tessa shoulder. "Could you calm down? You're nervous, I get that, but you need to enjoy this."

"Whatever," Tessa said. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"I'm afraid not," Rinoa said. "Should I?"

"On my first day at Balamb Garden I got into a fight with Selphie Tilmitt and you tore us apart. You walked me to Headmaster Cid," Tessa said. "You remember none of it?"

"Sorry," Rinoa said. "I broke up a lot of fights between Selphie and girls. You could be one of what seems like hundreds."

"Oh well," Tessa said.

The group walked the rest of the way in silence and arrived at the train station with half an hour to spare. Tessa tapped Phelan on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Could you tell Xu I had to use the restroom?"

"Sure," he said. She shoved her bag into his arms and sprinted to the bathroom.

The bathroom consisted of two stalls and a sink. Tessa had lied about having to use it, but she needed to get away from other people to do what she needed to do.

She was standing in front of the mirror and had her hand up by her eye when one of the stall doors opened and slammed against the wall. Tessa ignored it and finished what she was doing. She turned on the sink and splashed cold water on her face. When she looked back up her face wasn't the only one in the mirror. "You!" she said. She turned around and met a right hook that knocked her to the floor.

The blonde woman that had attacked her in the forest just weeks before towered over her. She was still wearing a dark blue shirt, but something was different. One hand had a black leather glove on it, and the other was naked. "I see you're doing better, but you won't be able to make your train."

"They know I'm in here!" Tessa said as she spat onto the floor. "They'll find me."

"Wrong," the blonde woman said as she waved a gloved finger in the air. "They'll find parts of you. I'll be long gone."

Tessa curled her hand into a fist and stood up. She swung at the blonde-haired woman, who easily dodged it. The blonde hit Tessa again, and Tessa fell against the stall wall. The woman ran and tried to kick Tessa, but she rolled out of the way at the last second and brought her elbow into the woman's stomach.

"What is this about?" Tessa yelled as she swung again, but the blonde-haired woman grabbed her hand and threw her into the wall.

"It's about you," the blonde said. She punched Tessa in the face again and then grabbed her by the hair. She pulled Tessa back and then smashed her face into the mirror, which cracked. Tessa grabbed at the woman's hand and tried to pry her hair loose but wasn't strong enough.

"Let me go!" Tessa yelled through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, can't do that," the woman said. She took Tessa and slammed her head into the sink. Tessa felt a tooth chip and she bit her cheek. She pushed herself off the sink and into the woman, knocking them both to the ground.

Tessa felt the woman pushed her off and stand up. The blonde kicked her in the ribs and Tessa grabbed them. "You burned my hand, you little bitch!" the blonde-haired woman yelled as she kicked Tessa again and again.

Tessa waited, and when the blonde went to kick her again she grabbed her foot and pulled, bringing the woman back down. "Leave me alone!" Tessa yelled as she climbed on top of the woman and spat a mouthful of blood in her face.

She punched the woman and raised her hands to pound her face in, but the blonde took her gloved hand and drove the fingers into Tessa's chest, hitting the sternum and winding her. Tessa fell and the woman pushed her off. She rolled onto Tessa and pinned her arms down with her knees.

Blow after blow was delivered to Tessa's face, but Tessa managed to bring her foot up and hit the woman in the back the head with her steel-toed boot.

"Tessa?" someone yelled. "Where are you?"

"You lucked out yet again," the blonde woman said as she spat in Tessa's face. She climbed off the teen and dashed out of the bathroom. A minute later Rinoa ran in and saw Tessa hanging on the sink, trying to wash her face.

"What happened?" Rinoa asked.

"I was attacked by a T-Rexaur," Tessa said groggily. She climbed to her feet and smoothed back her hair, and then she opened her mouth and checked her teeth. The one that had been broken was a wisdom tooth, luckily.

"No, really, what happened?" Rinoa asked, her eyes wide.

"It's not important," Tessa said. The memories of her first attack and how it had been handled were still fresh in her mind. "I just need to finish my exam, okay?"

"Okay," Rinoa said uncertainly. "But shouldn't we at least tell Xu?"

"No!" Tessa yelled. "She'll make me go back to the Garden and I'll fail my exam. I'll just treat myself when I get on the train."

"Well, everyone else is waiting for us, come on," Rinoa said. She put an arm around Tessa's shoulder and helped her walk clearly.

"Hey," Tessa asked, "did you see a blonde woman come out of the bathroom?"

"No," Rinoa said. Curiously. "Why?"

"Never mind."


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:

I'm letting everyone know now that updates may go up in frequency, but that's only because I already have 30+ chapters written. After that, they may slow down to about 1 every week or two.

A/N: **Gullwing Yunie:** you felt Tessa's pain? Wow. Nothing else to say really.

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"What the hell happened to you?" Phelan asked when he saw Tessa. Everyone else turned and looked at her as she approached.

"I took a wrong turn and fell down a flight of stairs," Tessa said, and she winced with each step. "Sorry it took me so long, but I'm good to go."

"Are you sure?" Xu said. "Maybe you should go back."

"No!" Tessa yelled. "I mean: I'm fine. It looks worse than it is. I checked myself, and nothing is broken. Believe me."

"Alright then, let's go," Xu said, keeping an eye on Tessa. "I have your tickets here. Since this is an exam, the cost is the Garden's, but if you become SeeDs you have to pay for own fare and supplies."

"Thanks," Phelan said as he took his ticket. "Should we get on?"

"Yeah!" Zell yelled as he grabbed his ticket from Xu. "Let's go kick some Galbadian ass!"

"We're reconnaissance," Tessa told him irritably as she took her ticket from Xu. Phelan shoved her bag into her sore arms, and she groaned painfully. "We're not supposed to engage in physical confrontation unless absolutely necessary."

"How boring," Zell said as Xu finished passing out the tickets. He began bouncing on the balls of his feet and punching imaginary figures.

"Come on, Tough Guy," Rinoa said as she grabbed Zell by the ear and began dragging him to the train. "We're going to be late."

"Whoa!" Zell yelled. "Let go!"

"Fine," Rinoa said as she released the SeeD. "But are you going to behave, Chicken-wuss?"

"What did you say?" Zell yelled as loudly as possible. Tessa slapped her forehead out of frustration, but regretted it when pain shot through her face. "What did you call me?"

"You heard me," Rinoa said. She put her hands on her hips and leaned into his face. "Now, are you going to behave?"

Zell dropped his head and kicked the ground. "Fine, whatever you say."

"Wow, he's whipped," Phelan whispered to Adette.

"What, should I be horrified?" Tessa whispered back. " Is it such a terrible thing to be a strong-willed woman?"

"I never…" Phelan started to say, but Tessa cut him off.

"Let's not ruin things. We're going to be stuck together for a week."

---

"This is the private SeeD cabin?" Tessa said in wide-eyed admiration. The train cabin housed a large sofa and a set of bunk beds. In addition, there was a mini-bar and radio. "This is so much better than the cabin I rode in when I first came to Balamb!"

"Actually," Xu said as she put a hand on Tessa's sore shoulder, "this is the student cabin. The SeeD cabin is next to it. Of course, the student cabin isn't used often, seeing as how it's for the sole use of students taking exams."

"Student cabin?" Tessa said. "I've never heard of a student cabin before."

"It's a special cabin, exclusively for this train," Zell explained. "You guys are the first ones to use it, since it was just installed after the Sorceress War ended. The main method of transportation for exams is still vessels, though."

"We will leave you now," Xu said as she saluted the students. Tessa looked around and saw that the others were already saluting. She hastily saluted and lowered her hand after Xu lowered her own.

"So, what is your deal?" Adette asked Tessa after the other three left the cabin, leaving the students alone.

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked.

"You are completely unprofessional, you have authority problems, and you don't confide in people," Adette clarified. "Not to mention the fact that you seem to hate men."

"Hate men?" Tessa said out of surprise. "What would make you think I hate men?"

Adette sat on the sofa and watched as Phelan threw his bag into the top bed. "It's just that you haven't said anything kind to either Phelan or Mr. Zell today."

"Why should I?" Tessa said. "Phelan is an idiot, and Zell seems to be an idiot as well."

"Even if you do feel that way," Adette said with a look of pity at Tessa, "you do give off a hostile vibe. How many friends do you have?"

"The quantity of friends doesn't matter," Tessa said angrily, "it's the quality."

"Oh, that few," Adette said. "How sad."

"Fuck off," Tessa said as she gave Adette the finger. She turned around and stormed out of the cabin, her pack bouncing against her shoulders.

"Whoa, slow down," someone said as Tessa passed by. She narrowed her eyes and was about to go off when she realized who it was.

"Sorry, Miss Heartilly," she said, Adette's words burning in her ears.

"Miss Heartilly?" Rinoa said. "You gave me the impression that you weren't a robot. Look at Xu, we're friends and she calls me Miss Heartilly."

"Then you want me to call you Rinoa?" Tessa asked. "But you're hero!"

"And so are you," Rinoa said. "I was talking to Zell, and he said he remembered you. Did you really save Selphie from some lunatic?"

Tessa thought hard and got a momentary flash of red eyes in her mind's eye, and then she shivered out of unrealized fear. "I wouldn't really say I saved her."

"Still," Rinoa said, "you have a lot of potential from what I've seen. You look like you've been through hell, and you're still walking. Xu told me that you were attacked by a T-Rexaur and lived. Not many people can make such a claim, especially medics. They're not supposed to be strong people outside of medicine."

Tessa back away from Rinoa and into a wall, "How did you know I'm a medic?"

"When Xu asked you if you should go back to the Garden, you said that you checked yourself. Only a medic would say something like that."

"You know medics?" Tessa asked curiously. "That's amazing."

"Well, I have been living at Balamb Garden for a year," Rinoa said with a smile. "You want to go to the observation car and talk?"

"Sure!" Tessa answered enthusiastically. Then she mentally kicked herself. "I mean, why not?"

"Come on," Rinoa said with a laugh. She walked down the hall and disappeared through a sliding door. Tessa shouldered her pack and followed.

The observation car consisted of large glass windows through which the train's passengers could view the passing scenery. Tessa wondered why one had even been put on the train since it spent 80 of its traveling time in an underwater tunnel. The car was lit only by a small set of dim lights installed in the ceiling, which didn't illuminate all of it anyway. Tessa looked at the windows but only saw passing darkness. "Where are you?"

"Over here by the window," Rinoa said. Tessa tried following her voice with little success. "No, on your left."

She finally found Rinoa and sat next to the fuzzy figure that flickered in the brown light. "Want did you want to talk about?"

Tessa heard Rinoa sigh before speaking. "I think I know what happened to you, and you didn't fall down a bunch of stairs. The only stairs in the whole station lead up to the train."

"Okay, what do you think happened?" Tessa asked, thoughts of the blonde woman in her mind.

"I think you got into a meaningless fight to vent some frustration, and you got your ass kicked. It's not hard to figure out, really."

"Wow," Tessa said sarcastically. "You have so got me figured out. Are you going to tell me I'm a redhead next?"

"What is your problem?" Rinoa said in mild outrage. "I haven't talked to someone like you since…"

"Since whom?" Tessa asked. "That idiot Zell?"

"Hey!" Rinoa said. "He's my friend! Moreover, no, I wasn't thinking of him. My god, why are you always so angry?"

"Could it have something to do with the fact that I'm constantly being harassed by a culture saying that every I do is wrong?" Tessa asked. "Might it be because I'm attending a Garden where all of the women are thin and beautiful and never get dirty or have bad hair days? Do you know what kind of message that sends?"

"Wow," Rinoa said. "I never thought of it like that."

"No one ever does," Tessa said angrily. "I mean, I was the first person to challenge the skirt-and-uniform issue. I literally fought for the right to pants!"

"That was you?" Rinoa said. Tessa saw a movement under the light but couldn't really distinguish it. "Quistis told me that it a SeeD that told her she could stop wearing a skirt."

"Yeah, I never get credit for my work," Tessa said. She stood up and stumbled out of the observation car, tripping in the dim lighting. She had just opened the door when she heard a woman scream.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:

A/N: I wanted my fic to be a bit like FFIX in that there are several hidden references to other games and stories. However, I really stepped out of my element on this chapter and tried to emulate a movie's dialogue. And, should you not know where it comes from, you probably aren't a big zombie fan. (Hint: listen to the hysterical woman)

**Gullwing Yunie:** You really think that I'm that good in my descriptions? I always look at them and see where they can be improved. Hmm... Must be one of those things where nobody is ever happy with what they do.

**Rakunya:** I don't have any plans for killing Tessa (though my other OCs don't have the same promise), so feel free to use her. As for my grammar, I used spell check about 8,000 times. It's stuck on Canadian, though, so my words are going to be "centre" instead of "center," and "colour" instead of "color." Still it looks right to me. As for the blonde being Elena, look at the clues...

Sorry about the rambling, here's the story!

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"What's going on?" Tessa asked as she ran into the car, thankful that the blonde woman hadn't hurt her legs. "What happened?"

"M-my husband," a woman wailed as she pointed at a door to a cabin. The woman was covered with blood and her eyes were wide with paranoia. "He's killing him!"

Rinoa was kneeling next to the woman and looked up at Tessa. "You're a medic, take care of her. I'll see what's happening."

Tessa nodded and knelt next to the woman as Rinoa stood up and edged to the door. The woman looked up at Tessa and gasped, "He got you, too!"

"I'm afraid that this was done by a woman," Tessa said. "It's okay, though. Tell me what happened, will you?"

"We were eating in the dining car. We came back and when we went into our room, he grabbed me! He tore at me!" the woman screamed. "I screamed Johnny, help me, Johnny! Johnny fought him and I got scared and ran away."

"It's okay, don't worry," Tessa said. "But did he hurt you?"

"We should get Johnny," the woman said. She looked at Tessa and began screaming. "Don't you hear me? We have to go get Johnny!"

"We're doing that," Rinoa said from the door. Tessa watched as she grabbed the handle and threw the door open. Rinoa peered into the room and turned away, looking ready to vomit.

"What is it?" Tessa asked. She stood up and left the woman sitting on the floor. She peeked into the room and saw a sight that utterly disgusted her.

A man in a dirty blue suit was bent over another man that couldn't be seen. The first man's face was hidden, but he was making chewing noises.

"Is he… eating him?" Tessa asked Rinoa. That was when the first man jerked his head in Tessa's direction, a long piece of human entrails dangling from his mouth. Even more startling He snarled and stood up.

"We've got to get Johnny!" the woman screamed. She leapt to her feet and ran past Tessa.

"Wait!" Rinoa yelled as she reached for the woman and missed. The woman ran into the room, past the man, and to her husband who was lying motionless in a pool of his own blood. She fell to her knees and gathered his bloody head in her arms, pressing it to her chest.

Rinoa ran into the cabin and held up her arm, the one with the kite-object on it. "Stop! She yelled at the red-eyed man. When he didn't, she narrowed her eyes and planted her feet. "I'm serious, stop now!"

Tessa gave off the appearance of observing the entire scene, but in actuality she was in shock, her eyes trapped on those of the man Rinoa was threatening. He stood still for a moment, staring at Tessa, and Rinoa's shoulders sagged out of relief. Tessa then blinked, breaking the eye contact that she'd held with the man.

Within a second, the man gave a blood-curdling scream and lunged at Rinoa. In retaliation, Rinoa jumped back and pressed a latch on her wrist. The mini-kite flew off her arm and into the man's chest, knocking him backward.

The kite ricocheted off the man, hit a wall, and came back to Rinoa. She caught it on her arm, where it seamlessly reattached. Tessa was still kneeling and Rinoa turned back to her and gave a thumb up sign.

"No, Johnny, no!" the woman shrieked. Tessa turned her head and saw the man referred to as Johnny sitting up. He had his arms gripping her and he bit her shoulder. The woman screamed as a large portion of shirt and skin left her body.

Rinoa ran over and shot the man in the face with her weapon, knocking his head back. There was a sickening shriek escaping Johnny's wife as his hands left her arms, carrying large pieces of meat with them. Tessa recognized muscles among them, but was paralysed. Johnny had red eyes as well.

"Do something!" Rinoa yelled at Tessa, snapping her out of her daze. Tessa stood up and ran to the woman, who was howling.

"Can you stand?" Tessa asked. The woman didn't seem to be able to control herself. Tessa slapped her in the face, but it didn't seem to work. She reached into the bag she was still carrying and pulled out a syringe filled with a liquid. She stuck the needle into her arm and pushed the liquid into the woman's vein.

"What did you just do?" Rinoa gasped.

"It's just a sedative," Tessa said calmly. "She should be fine. Help me get her in the hall so I can bandage these wounds."

The two women each grabbed an arm of the screamer and tried to haul her out of the cabin, but she thrashed about, foam flying from her mouth. Rinoa lost her grip and the woman fell, bringing Tessa down with her.

"Hold on!" Rinoa yelled. She grabbed the free arm and tried to hold her down. "When does that sedative take effect?"

Tessa was about to answer when she suddenly lost her voice. She just opened her mouth to scream, though no noise was emitted.

"What is it?" Rinoa asked as she looked over her shoulder. Johnny was standing up and looming directly over Rinoa. He moaned and grabbed at her, but she threw her hands up in front of her face and a small bolt of lighting flew out of them. It hit Johnny in the chest and knocked him over, his feet continuing to move as they flew into the air.

The woman kept screaming and fighting Tessa, who finally regained her senses. She drew her hand back and punched the woman in the face, knocking her out. Rinoa turned and looked at Tessa. "It works now?"

"What works?" Tessa asked. "Your Thunder spell?"

"No," Rinoa said, indicating the unconscious woman. "The sedative finally took effect?"

"Yeah," Tessa lied as she pushed down on the woman's shoulder. "Let's get her back to my cabin, we'll keep her there until she wakes up."


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen:

A/N: Short chaptercrap? Not necessarily, but this chapter probably isn't the best example of "short and sweet." But for those who were wondering about Tessa's hatred of men, a large discussion about it occurs and there's even a mini-flashback.

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"Who's that?" Phelan asked as the two women struggled in carrying the third into the student cabin. "What happened to her?"

"She was… attacked by her husband," Rinoa said, choosing her words carefully. "Will you two get off the sofa, please?"

"Sorry, Miss Heartilly," Adette said with a salute as she jumped off the sofa. At her feet, her lone suitcase lay open, containing a student uniform and several handguns. She also had parts of a sniper rifle out, which she had obviously been cleaning, but Tessa was too preoccupied to notice. "Get up, Phelan!"

"I'm up!" Phelan said as he threw his magazine across the room. It landed in the bottom bunk. He stood back and watched as the woman was laid on the sofa. "Who is she?"

"How the hell should I know?" Tessa replied. She scowled and brushed hair from her face. She looked at Adette and changed tones. "Could you get my pack for me? It's in the hall, and I need to treat these wounds."

"I've got it," Phelan said. He smiled at Tessa and put a hand on her shoulder before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"He's cute," Rinoa said. She smiled at Tessa and tried to search her eyes, with no success. "Why are you always so bitchy to him?"

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked as she grabbed a wrist to check the woman's pulse. It was slow but regular. "Phelan's not cute, and I'm not bitchy."

"You jumped down his throat when he asked about her," Adette said as she lay down on the bottom bunk bed. "And you were a bitch yesterday in the reception area of the Headmaster's office."

"If I am bitchy," Tessa said as she drew out the last syllable, "it's because of how utterly infuriating people are. Phelan just happens to annoy me more than others, so I receive the urge to hurt him."

"You hurt the one you love," Rinoa said as she brushed the woman's pale face with her fingertips. "As least, that's been my experience."

"I don't love Phelan," Tessa said with a laugh. "I could never love a man."

"You're a lesbian?" Adette gasped as she sat up. "I've never met a lesbian before, though that would explain your hostility to Mr. Dincht and Phelan."

"I'm not a lesbian," Tessa said. She held her hand over the woman's open wound, slowing the blood loss. "I just don't like men. That's it, okay?"

"Why not?" Rinoa asked. She stood up and wiped the blood on her hands onto her skirt. "Most of my friends are men."

"It's because…" Tessa began, but then her head began to fill with images.

_A man pushed her down onto a dirt floor. She was wearing a student uniform; only it had a Lotia Garden symbol instead of Balamb Garden. Tessa was only twelve or so, and she was screaming and kicking at the man. It was night and she couldn't see his face as he grabbed her legs and spread them apart…_

"Because what?" Adette asked. She picked up Phelan's magazine and began flipping through it. "Some guy dumped you at your old Garden?"

Tessa wasn't listening; she was reliving that night. "I'm sorry, what?" Tessa asked as looked at the wall and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, leaving a long bloody streak on her face.

"Nothing," Rinoa said, sensing that Tessa didn't want to discuss it. She stood up and brushed the unconscious woman's face. "I'll just leave you guys to take care of her. See you in the morning."

"Goodbye, Miss Rinoa," Adette said, completely oblivious to Tessa. She just continued looking at the magazine.

Rinoa opened the door and Phelan fell into the room. It was clear that he had been holding his ear up to the door and listening to the conversation. He caught his balance and stood up, laughing and rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand.

"Miss Rinoa," he said with a nod in Rinoa's direction. "Ladies."

"Give me the pack," Tessa said angrily as she grabbed the bag in Phelan's right hand. "I have work to do."

"Oh, I know you were talking about me," Phelan said with a grin. "All you women do is talk about me. I can't really say I blame you, though."

"I never talk about you," Tessa said through gritted teeth as she unzipped the pack and pulled the rather large first-aid kit out. "I only laugh at you, and I do it to your face."

"I guess I kind of get your point," Rinoa said from the door. Tessa looked up and saw her smiling. "But I still believe what I believe, remember that."

"Fuck off," Tessa said angrily, causing Phelan and Adette's mouths to drop open. All Rinoa did was laugh as she closed the door to the cabin. She glared at her two companions as she used a pair of scissors to cut a long strip of gauze. "What?"

"Nothing," Adette said quickly as she returned to Phelan's magazine.

"What she said," Phelan agreed. He yawned and stretched his arms. "I'm going to get some sleep. Night."

"Idiots," Tessa muttered under her breath as she began to treat the woman lying motionless on the bloodstained sofa.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Up in Flames

A/N: I'm not saying anything about this chapter, other than someone dies! evil laugh

**Pixie-Stixs:** You can feel her emotions? Great, then I've her multi-dimensional. (I was worried that Tessa would become a bitch and nothing more...)

**Rakunya:** It is going where you think it's going, if I'm right in my thinking of where you think it's going. (Confusing? You bet. Worth it? Hell yeah!) It would explain a lot about Tessa and how she thinks like she does. And I figured out that the grammar thing was a compliment _after_ I uploaded. slaps forehead Oh well.

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Tessa was jerked to consciousness by the screams of a man, Phelan. The train was pitch black and she couldn't remember where the switch for the overhead light was. Over the soft chugging of the train on the tracks, she heard the sounds of a struggle; grunting and moaning.

_Moaning_? Tessa thought as she sat upright. She lifted up her right hand and a small flame appeared in her hand, a Fire spell. It crackled with the movements of its owner's hand, but the tiny blaze dutifully lit up the darkness around Tessa. While she could see much from her position on the floor, she looked at the bunks and a saw a figure leaning into the bottom one.

It wasn't Phelan, whom had convinced Adette to swap bunks with him earlier that night, though. The person was too shapely to be Phelan, but it was also too tall to be Adette. Tessa quickly glanced at the sofa, only to find it empty.

Painfully standing up, finally feeling the full effects of the beating she had received the day before, Tessa moved closer to the disturbance. Holding her ribs with her left hand, Tessa pointed her right at the woman. The small flame suddenly shot out of Tessa's hand and onto the woman's back.

She easily caught fire; or, rather, her clothes had. The growing blaze more fully lit up the room and Tessa finally saw the light switch. She sprinted to it, her ribs aching, and flipped the light on. The fully lit room removed all doubt as to what was happening.

Despite the fact that she was burning alive, the woman that Tessa and Rinoa had saved earlier was still trying to claw her way into the bunk. For his part, Phelan was kicking to keep her back and prevent catching himself on fire. Meanwhile, Adette was in her bunk rifling through the bedding.

Tessa sprang into action, grabbing the burning shirt and pulling the woman out of the bunk. The woman fell to the floor and thrashed about on her back, trying to get back up. Narrowing her eyes, Tessa raised her right hand, cold wind and small flecks of snow poured out of it and extinguished most of the flames.

"Are you okay?" Tessa asked as she turned to Phelan. "Did she get you?"

"No," Phelan said with a look of relief on his face. Then it suddenly changed to fear as he yelled out, "Behind you!"

Tessa turned around and saw the woman was standing back up. Her face was charred and melted away, revealing bone and muscle. The room was filled with the smell of cooked meat, but the woman didn't seem to notice any of it. However, what Tessa feared most where the eyes, which had grown to a dark red. She grabbed at Tessa, who fell back and hit her head on the strip of wall between the bunks before collapsing on the floor.

Her vision blurred momentarily and Tessa threw her hands up in defence, but before anything happened, a loud CRACK filled the room.

As her vision cleared, Tessa saw that the woman had also collapsed, about a decimetre away. Someone was breathing heavily, but aside from that, the room was eerily silent.

"She was going to kill you," someone, Adette, gasped. "You set her on fire and she kept attacking." Tessa looked up and saw Adette leaning out of her bunk, a small gun clasped in her calm hands. Her long hair had fallen into her face and, with the exception of her hands; she was trembling like a leaf in a storm.

"Guys," Phelan said quietly, "what did we do?"

"She was going to kill you," Adette repeated in her shaking voice. "I had no choice. She was going to kill you."

"Ow," Tessa muttered as she stood up. She had her left hand still wrapped around her ribs, and was using her right to support herself with the bunk's mattress. "It's okay, all we did was defend ourselves."

"How can you be so relaxed?" Phelan cried hysterically. "We just killed someone! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Fuck this," Tessa said with a laboured breath. She pressed her left hand harder against her chest and her body glowed a pale green for about a second. As the light faded, so did Tessa's pain. She had just healed herself with a White Magic spell for the first time, but was to preoccupied to register it.

"She was going to kill you," Adette continued in a whisper. She dropped the gun and fell to the floor, letting off another shot that hit the radio, which showered the floor with electrical sparks. "She was going to kill you."

"Calm down!" Tessa yelled as she covered her head with arms in fear of another bullet. When it didn't come, she slapped Adette in the face. "Get a grip!"

At that moment, the door to the cabin burst open. Tessa turned her head and saw Xu in the doorway, her face scrunched up at the smell of burnt flesh. "We heard a gun, what happened?"

However, before anyone could respond, Xu saw the burned body lying on the floor. A pool of black blood surrounded its skull, and the forehead had small wound where the bullet had gone through it.

"What did you do?" Xu demanded of Phelan, who looked pathetically at Tessa.

"I shot her," Tessa said as she stepped forward. Phelan's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything Adette was still muttering to herself and didn't even seem aware of what was happening around her. "She was crazed, tried to kill Phelan."

"Is that true?" Xu asked. She looked at Phelan, trying to act like the corpse didn't revolt her. "Did this woman try to kill you?"

"Y-yes," Phelan stuttered nervously. "T-Tessa set her on f-f-fire, but w-when that d-didn't work she g-grabbed a g-gun and shot her."

"You set her on fire?" Xu screeched as she turned her attention back to Tessa. "Why would you do something so stupid? You could've set the whole train on fire!"

"Sorry," Tessa said defensively. "I wasn't trained as a fighter, I'm a medic. I panicked."

"Who is she?" Xu asked as she scanned the room, noticing the broken radio and the floor where the bone and brain matter had splattered. "Where did she come from?"

"Rinoa didn't tell you?" Tessa said in shock.

"That's 'Miss Rinoa' to you," Xu snapped angrily. "You're in enough trouble as it is, don't make things worse."

"Well, _Miss_ Rinoa," Tessa said spitefully, "saved her from her husband earlier today. He was trying to kill her. We brought her back here to get treated. I thought for sure she would've told you."

"I'll be right back, don't move!" Xu said threateningly. She stormed out of the room in rush, not even bothering to slam the door on her way out.

"Hey," Tessa said as she turned to Adette. "Are you okay?"

Adette turned to look at Tessa, her eyes filled with tears. "She was going to kill you."

"I know," Tessa said with a smile. She cupped Adette's cheek with her hand and wiped away a tear with her thumb. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Adette whispered as the corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile. "But she was going to kill you."

"I know," Tessa repeated. "It was your first kill, and it's hard. Don't worry, you'll get over it. I did."

"You killed someone?" Phelan asked from the bottom bunk. However, Tessa didn't get the chance to answer because Xu came back into the room, Rinoa and Zell following in her wake. Both of them were clearly tired.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Xu demanded of Rinoa. "Answer me, damn it!"

"Tessa!" Rinoa said as she covered her mouth with her hand. "What did you do?"

"Sorry," Tessa said, refusing to look at the other woman. "She tried to kill Phelan, just like her husband did her."

"So you did!" Xu said as she jabbed Rinoa in the chest with finger. "If it weren't for the fact that you're not a SeeD, I'd have you expelled. When we reach Timber I'm calling the Headmaster and reporting both of you."

"Calm down, Xu," Zell said as he stepped between the two women. He was wearing flannel nightclothes, but it didn't do anything to diminish his dominating physique. "It sounds like they helped this woman, and then the redhead had to protect herself."

"Where did this woman get attacked?" Xu screamed at Tessa, who jumped out of fear.

"A couple of cars over, outside her cabin," Tessa said.

"Take me there," Xu said. She reached around Zell and grabbed Rinoa, jerking her to her side. "Both of you. Zell, stay here and find out what really happened."

"Got it," Zell said with a wink at Tessa, who found the gesture to be of little comfort. "I'll find out what went down here.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty:

A/N: Another fight with Johnny and the man in the blue suit occurs, and Tessa shows that she is indeed human in a most unusual way. Also, Adette steps into the foreground of the story to take her place amongst the important twists of the plot. Also, there's some psuedo-yuri at the end of the chapter.

Also, I'm dissatisfied with my summary and am willing to change it if the right one comes along. Just put your idea in your review. (Winner gets a chapter dedicated to him/her!)

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"Here it is," Tessa said fearfully to Xu as she showed her the door to the dead woman's cabin. They'd passed through the observation car in darkness and silence, and Tessa was sure that she was going to fail her exam. "This is where we found her."

"Move," Xu said as she pushed Tessa out of the way and threw open the door. Then she screamed and jumped out of the way as two figures spilled into the dimly lit hallway. Tessa recognized them as the woman's husband, Johnny, and the man that had been eating him.

"What's wrong with them? Xu screamed at Tessa as Johnny grabbed her boot. "What's wrong with them?"

"Hold on," Rinoa yelled as she jumped into the fray. She raised her arm, which didn't have the weapon on it, and a bolt of lightning shot out of it and into Johnny. He stopped moving and fell at Xu's feet. "We don't know what it is."

"Guys, help!" Tessa yelled as the second man stood up and charged at her. With quick reflexes, Tessa grabbed one of his arms and slammed him into the wall beside her. Then she let go and stared at her hands as the man tried to regain his balance. She looked up at the man, a look of bewilderment on her face.

"Tessa!" Rinoa yelled as she tried to walk past a petrified Xu, and Johnny was suddenly moving again. "Just wait for me!"

Tessa didn't say anything, she just stepped back as the man clawed the air where she had just been. Grabbing his arm again, she pulled him toward her. She drove her knee into his stomach, but it seemed to have no effect.

Dodging his gnashing teeth, Tessa drove her elbow into the side of the man's head, knocking him back a decimetre. She then raised her hands, which were balled into fists, in front of her face. The man lumbered toward her, and she lashed out with a right hook that met with his chin. Again, he didn't even flinch at the attack.

"Tessa!" Rinoa yelled though neither woman could see the other any longer. "Are you okay!"

"Fine!" Tessa replied as she kicked the man in chest. She heard the cracking of bones as he stumbled back but didn't fall. "But I can't get him to stop!"

"Just hold on a little longer!" Rinoa yelled back. "We're just having a little trouble of our own."

Tessa backed up a bit more, and then felt her back hit something solid, a door. She didn't have enough room between herself and the advancing man to get the door open without risk of him catching her, so she flung her arms out to her sides, looking for an escape route. There were none, but she felt glass on her left.

_A window_! she thought, a plan formulating in her head. _I just hope it's not shatter resistant_.

The man was a decimetre away when Tessa reached out and tried to grab the side of his head but missed. He bit her hand, but she kicked him away, glad he hadn't broken through the tough hide of her fighting glove. She then drove her elbow into the window, thankful to hear the shattering of the glass.

"Tessa?" Rinoa yelled, clearly scared.

Too preoccupied to reply, Tessa withdrew her elbow and kicked the man on his left side with her right foot. He hit the wall and she jumped behind him. She grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall before thrusting it through the glass. Shards bit into her fingers, but Tessa gritted her teeth.

She shoved his neck down onto a large shard of glass that was trapped in the windowpane. She withdrew her hands and backed into the wall behind her. Thankful for the train's large windows, Tessa steadied her weight on her right foot and placed her palms against the wall behind her.

With her left foot planted on his ass, Tessa grunted as she lifted the man. It was hard, since he was heavy and struggling. Then, with a quick flash of thought, Tessa threw her left hand out. A white, swirling wind left her palm and lifted the man to Tessa's eye level. As quickly as she could, she grabbed his foot and shoved him through the window. As soon as she removed her hand, the man fell away with the speed of the train and Tessa didn't even hear him fall.

"Are you guys okay?" Tessa yelled, exhausted.

"Yeah!" Rinoa yelled back, breathing hard but laughing. Feeling her way along the wall, Tessa saw that Rinoa and Xu were both bent over and panting, and that the door to the cabin was again closed.

"We got him back inside the cabin," Xu said. "What about you?"

"I shoved my guy out a window with a Float spell," Tessa said with a laugh. She cringed a second later, though, as she heard scratching on the other side of the door.

"Are you hurt?" Rinoa asked, ignoring the scratching sounds.

"Not really," Tessa said. "I just cut myself on some glass is all. What about you?"

"He tried to bite me," Xu panted as she stood up. "I hit him in the face before he could, though. I don't think we got anything other than bruises, though."

"Still," Tessa said as she offered Rinoa a hand. "We should go back so I can check us out."

"What do you think happened?" Rinoa asked as she took Tessa's hand.

"I've never seen it before," Tessa grunted. She pulled and Rinoa stood up, swaying. "But I want to look at the body back in the cabin. It might tell us something."

---

"What happened to you guys?" Zell asked as the three women walked into the cabin. Xu collapsed on the sofa, too tired to care about the blood on it.

'We got into a fight," Rinoa said as she rubbed her forehead. She slapped Tessa on the back as the redhead walked around her. "Xu and I stalemated this guy, but Tessa beat the crap out of hers."

"Don't," Tessa pleaded as she stepped over the body. She grabbed her pack and sat beside Xu on the sofa. "I don't have the time or energy to tell any fucking stories."

"Who did you guys fight?" Phelan asked. He was sitting on the edge of his bunk, looking excited. "Was it a couple of Galbadian soldiers."

"The Garden and Galbadia, while not on the best of terms, signed a ceasefire after the Sorceress War ended," Xu yelled angrily at Phelan. "We just fought a couple of nut jobs."

"Incredibly strong nut jobs," Rinoa corrected. "I even hit the guy with a Thundara spell, but all it did was stun him long enough for Xu and I to throw him into another room."

"Excuse me," Tessa said as she bandaged her fingers. The cuts were superficial, but she didn't want any risks. "Does anyone know where Adette is?"

"She went to the SeeD cabin," Zell said. "She looked freaked out, and I told her to get some rest there."

"I'll look at the body later," Tessa told Xu. "I'm going to go see if she's okay."

"Why the fuck should I care?" Xu grumbled. "It's not like you're going to do anything I say, anyway."

"Glad you understand," Tessa said as she slapped Xu on the knee.

"Antessence," Xu said as Tessa opened the door. "Why didn't you panic during the fight back there? Like you said, you're a medic, not a fighter. How is it you killed your guy while Rinoa and I, two proven fighters, couldn't even knock ours unconscious?"

Tessa exhaled loudly and looked into the hallway. "I've fought these things before."

---

After saying that she couldn't elaborate due to a gag order, Tessa left the student cabin and walked to the SeeD cabin right next to it. Inside she found Adette sitting in the middle of the floor, the gun she'd used to kill the woman in her hands.

"Hey," Tessa said while knocking on the open door. "Mind if I join you?"

Adette looked at the gun for several seconds before looking up at Tessa. "She was going to kill you, you know."

"I know," Tessa said with a sigh. She walked over to Adette and sat beside her. "It's okay, you know."

"What's okay? That I killed a person?" Adette said. She raised her hands, the gun in her left one, and hit herself in the head. "That's okay?"

"Hey, you're on your SeeD exam," Tessa reminded her. "You're a Firearms major, a sharpshooter. You're going to be hired to kill people."

"And?" Adette asked as she drug the short barrel of the gun on the floor.

"And it's okay to be scared," Tessa said as she put an arm around Adette's shoulders. "I'm a Medical Major, and I just killed a man today. At least, I think it was a man…"

"What?" Adette said as she looked up at Tessa.

"Nothing," Tessa said quickly. "I just want you to know that it's perfectly normal to wonder what you're doing after your first kill."

"Things are different for you, though," Adette objected. "You're a medic. You're supposed to help people. My purpose is to kill them."

"And that's why what I did is so much worse," Tessa explained. "I'm supposed to help people, like you said. Yet, I've killed people."

"You killed someone?" Adette asked. She looked up at Tessa with a sad curiousness in her eyes. "When?"

"Just tonight, remember?" Tessa said. She flinched at the thought of the man in the blue suit trying to bite into her as though she were an appetizer. "I pushed a man out of a window so that he wouldn't kill me. I did it to save myself, and you did the exact same thing."

"No I didn't," Adette said as she shook her head. Her long hair fell into her face, but she ignored it. "I wasn't in any danger, I didn't save myself."

"That's not what I meant," Tessa said, trying to clarify her statement. "Phelan and I were being attacked by a woman that wasn't bothered by being set on fire. You fought to save us."

"That doesn't change the fact that I killed someone," Adette said as she threw the gun in her hand across the room. "I took away someone's daughter, maybe even a mother."

"It may not be much consolation," Tessa said as she used her fingers to brush Adette's hair out of her eyes, "but you'll get used to it. If you find you can't, then you can still become something else. The world always needs more doctors."

Adette didn't laugh at Tessa's joke, but she did say something. "Do you really think that woman would've killed you if I hadn't stopped her?"

"Yeah," Tessa said reassuringly. She found it odd, the fact that she was comforting someone. Usually, she was the reason people felt bad. "I do."

"Then I guess it was worth it," Adette said soberly. She laid her head on Tessa's shoulder and sighed. The two women continued to sit like that for a long time, long after Tessa thought she should've been back in the student cabin.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One:

A/N: Will anyone really be surprised when Tessa gets into a fight that could cost her becoming a SeeD?

**Pixie-Stixs: **I like your summary, but would you mind if I tweak it a bit? Oh, and another zombie story? Awesome! (I'm a zombie freak. If any of you anyone reading this, check out "As The World Dies" by Gothgoddessrhia at the "Dawn of the Dead" part of the site.)

**Sorceress Eternity: **Yes, I love "Night!" You actually saw the farmhouse? I would have loved to do that! I heard that Romero tried to do all of his movies in Pennsylvania. (The man is a frickin' genius!)

**Gullwing Yunie:** You didn't know Xu had a mouth like that? Well, neither did Tessa. That's why this chapter comes as a surprise. I didn't even think it was going to go where it did when I started writing it.

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"I knew it," Tessa thought aloud as she snapped off her latex gloves. She threw them into a plastic baggie and sighed.

"What did you know?" Xu asked. Since Tessa had begun her amateur autopsy, Xu had perched on the edge of the sofa, watching with morbid fascination. The room was empty of everyone else except Adette, who in the top bunk sleeping. Phelan, Zell, and Rinoa had gone to try and find someone to inform where the deaths were concerned.

"See this?" Tessa asked as she pointed at the bite on the dead woman's shoulder. "Where the skin is all black?"

"Yeah," Xu said as she leaned over the body. "What about it?"

"The last time I saw this the person was still alive, but she had a large black spot on a bite and it was all red, like it is here," Tessa explained. "I never saw for myself, but I was told the person recovered and walked away just fine, though."

"So, what is it?" Xu asked. "What was wrong with her?"

"I don't know!" Tessa exclaimed as she threw the baggie with the gloves across the room. "I've seen this so many fucking times, but I have no idea what it is!"

"Maybe it's new," Xu said. "Maybe you've discovered a brand new disease."

Tessa looked at her and shook her head. "I doubt it. The odds of a new disease are slim. Most likely it's a variation of an existing one, or the resurgence of an old one."

"Maybe Dr. Kadowaki would know. We could ask when we get back to the Garden," Xu said as she slid off the sofa and onto her knees. "Do you think she would know?"

Completely baffled by Xu's sudden personality changes, Tessa balked. "No, she didn't. I showed it to her, but she was just as clueless as I was."

"Then tell me what you do know," Xu said. She pulled her skirt over her knees and looked at Tessa.

"Is that an order?" Tessa asked, feeling a headache coming on.

"If it has to be, then it is," Xu said with a nod. "Now give me your report on today's, or should I yesterday's, events."

"Fine," Tessa said as she rubbed her forehead, exhaustion catching up with her. "As of this moment, all members of my team are alive and in good health. There have been four… no, make that three altercations resulting in violence being undertaken.

"The first was Rinoa Heartilly and myself, where we fought two men that seemed crazed. We thought that we had defeated the men, and in our attempts rescued an as of now unidentified woman. She was brought to this cabin and her wounds were treated.

"The second altercation was with said woman, when she herself went crazed and attacked the student known as Phelan Barson. He was not harmed, but the fight ended with the death of the woman by a gunshot to the head.

"The third included, again, Rinoa Heartilly and myself, as well as you. We again clashed with the two men that Rinoa Heartilly and I had earlier fought. I succeeded in removing one of the men from the train, and it is believed he is dead, though that is currently unknown. The other man was temporarily incapacitated and is currently being kept in a cabin on this train.

"It is my theory, through mere speculation and coincidence, that there is a disease connected behind all three events. The disease is currently unknown, and its symptoms are unknown as well."

"Very good," Xu said. You are dismissed, get some sleep."

"I want to get some samples first," Tessa said, trying to keep her eyes open. "All I have to do is swab the wound and…"

"Do you know what a yawn means?" Xu asked as she leaned forward. "It means you're tired. Get some sleep; this old girl will be here when you wake up."

"I know I'm tired," Tessa said irritably. "That's why I want to get these samples. If I wait, then they'll only get more contaminated. Now leave me the hell alone."

"I order you to stop!" Xu said angrily. "Miss Matleo, you are infuriating. You start to show promise, and then your big mouth screws you over. Now leave the damn body alone and get some sleep! You don't know how close you are to failing this exam."

"Yes, Ma'am," Tessa said sarcastically. She stood up and kicked her bag away from the body. "I'm going to sleep in the observation car, if that's okay."

"Go ahead, just get out of my sight," Xu snapped back, her voice filled with venom. "And if I catch you near this body for the rest of the night then I'll automatically fail you and you can ride this train back to Balamb."

"Stupid bitch," Tessa said under her breath when she got into the hall. Xu wasn't trained as a coroner. Tessa wasn't either, but she knew that with her medical training she was more likely to know than anyone else what was happening.

---

"We have arrived at Timber Station," a man said over the PA. "You have two hours to vacate the train before we start boarding for the trip to Balamb."

"Hmm?" Tessa said as she sat up. She had to shield her eyes: sunlight was falling through the open windows and onto her face.

"Morning, Sleepyhead," someone said. Tessa sat up and saw Rinoa standing by the door leading back to the SeeD car. "Welcome to Timber."

"Huh?" Tessa said, since she was still not fully awake. "What?"

"We're in Timber," Rinoa said cheerfully. "Come on, we've got to go."

"How'd you know I was here?" Tessa asked as she stood. She swayed due to her fatigue and her muscles ached.

"Xu told me," Rinoa said. "She also said that you got into a fight with her. Is that true?"

"Well, she was interfering with my autopsy," Tessa said bitterly, remembering the events of the night before. "Is it my fault she doesn't understand medicine?"

"You don't have to worry about it," Rinoa said as she slapped Tessa on the shoulder. "As soon as we arrived some men in white uniforms came on the train and collected the body."

"What?" Tessa yelled. "She's gone? I didn't get my samples!"

"Samples?" Rinoa asked, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"By samples, I mean bits of tissue from the death wound," Tessa said. "I t helps us understand why and how a person died."

"But she died because you shot her in the head," Rinoa said, still confused. "Why would you need samples to prove something you already know?"

"Forget it," Tessa said, afraid to voice her opinion. When she had fought the man in the blue suit the night before, she noticed that his skin was cold, like a cadaver's. The same was true with the woman that Adette had shot. "It's over, I'll just concentrate on my exam now."

"Good for you," Rinoa said happily. "We all need to move on."

"Yippee," Tessa said sarcastically. "I need to get off this damn thing."

"Cheer up," Rinoa said. "All we have to do is catch the train to Galbadia City and your exam is practically over."

"Reconnaissance," Tessa muttered to herself as she shook her head. "What good am I on a reconnaissance mission?"

"Well, you did a hell of a job last night," Rinoa expostulated, having overheard Tessa. "You saved a woman, and fought off a man trying to kill you."

"I… killed the woman," Tessa said regretfully, "and it was pure luck that I killed that guy. I haven't done anyone any good."

"Well, you look better," Rinoa said, peering into Tessa's face. "I'm surprised your face hasn't bruised."

"I used Cura," Tessa said with a modicum of pride in her voice. "Actually, it was the first time I healed myself with White Magic! I never sustained any damage that a Potion wouldn't take care of, before!"

"Good for you," Rinoa said, unaware of just how big a deal the moment was to Tessa. "Now let's get your stuff and meet the others in front of the train."


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two:

A/N: There has been a lot of action lately, and I wanted to slow things down. The train ride lasted longer than I thought, though, so things will pick up and move after this chapter.

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Tessa stepped of the train and found herself atop a platform that had nothing on it but a railing and a set of stairs leading to the ground. At the bottom of said stairs the rest of the group stood. Xu was talking to a tall black man in a dark blue suit and sunglasses. He looked up and saw Tessa, but she couldn't read his expression.

"Thank you for your time, Ma'am," the man said as Tessa approached. He looked at his watch and walked away, disappearing around a corner.

"Who was he?" Tessa asked Xu. She felt a like she had Deja Vu, but couldn't understand why.

"It's none of your business," Xu said coldly. She was clearly angry with Tessa, and didn't feel the need to hide the fact. "Let's go."

The troupe walked down the street and until they reached the Timber Hotel. Tessa watched as a little girl wandered over to a cat, only to have her mother yell to leave the thing alone. Xu stamped her foot on the sidewalk and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Okay, listen up," Xu yelled over the noise of the people on the street. "I'm going to go see about the train to Galbadia City. We'll meet up here in two hours, is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Phelan and Adette chimed with salutes. Tessa was too caught up in thought to follow protocol, but Xu didn't seem to notice.

"Very well, dismissed," Xu said with another clap of her hands. Tessa felt a hand on her arm and stiffened.

"Calm down," Rinoa said. "It's just me."

Tessa jerked her arm out of Rinoa's gripped and snarled, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Why so hostile?" Rinoa asked, slightly shocked. "I was just going to ask if you wanted a tour of Timber to pass the time."

"Sorry," Tessa said, her mind still on the man with the sunglasses. She was certain she had seen him before, but couldn't remember where. "Bad night."

"Well, as I said earlier, it's over now," Rinoa said with a sigh of relief. "So, do you want to?

"Do I want to what?" Tessa asked, too tired to feel like playing games. "Would you spill it already?"

"I was just asking if you wanted to go on that tour," Rinoa sighed and shook her head. "You're really tense, you know that? You should relax and enjoy yourself. I know it's an exam, but that doesn't mean you stress out over it. You'll only make things worse."

"It's just…" Tessa began to say, but decided not to. "Fine, show me around this town. I need to kill some time."

"Gladly," Rinoa said. She took Tessa's arm in her own and the two women walked away from the hotel. Zell, Adette, Phelan, and Xu had already left.

They passed the train station to Balamb again and walked by a building with the words "Timber Maniacs" painted on a sign posted on the front of the building. Tessa stopped and stared in awe.

"Wow, this is the home of Timber Maniacs," Tessa said, catching Rinoa's attention.

"Yes, it is," Rinoa said. "It opened back up after Galbadia finally withdrew from Timber. It was one of the conditions of the Arklay Conventions."

"Arklay Conventions?" Tessa asked, having never heard of them before. "What are the Arkalay Conventions?"

"You don't know?" Rinoa said as though it were blasphemy. "The Arklay Conventions were the meetings that ended hostilities between Galbadia and Balamb Garden. They occurred about six months ago. Ringing a bell?"

"Sorry," Tessa said with a shrug. "Six months ago I was at Lotia Garden. We must have been too busy for them to teach us that."

"Where's Lotia Garden?" Rinoa asked. Someone called out her name and she waved. "I used to live here."

"Good for you," Tessa said as she rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe that famous people were so boring. "Lotia Garden is by Junon."

"The Shinra headquarters?" Rinoa asked as she waved at another person. "They must've requested a lot of services from your old Garden."

"Actually, not," Tessa said with a hint of a grin. "We were often hired by people opposing them. Rumour has it that there was even a SeeD in AVALANCHE."

"The freedom fighters that defeated Sephiroth?" Rinoa said in awe. "How could Cid have not told us?"

Tessa was caught off guard by how casually Rinoa referred to the headmaster, but she offered her hypothesis on the subject. "Maybe it's because he wanted to keep Shinra from finding out. The Gardens couldn't have afforded another war, much less with a major power company that holds a history in weapons production."

"How do you know all of this?" Rinoa asked. "Next you're going to tell me that you know about the secret Shinra-Umbrella merger."

"What?" Tessa said loudly, drawing looks from passing people. "Are you saying that the medical supplies I'm using are made by Shinra?"

"Is that a big deal?" Rinoa wondered.

"It's just that I've never used a Shinra product before," Tessa said, looking in her pack. "They were banned at my last Garden. Don't ask me why, though."

"Hey, I want you to meet some people," Rinoa said excitedly. She grabbed Tessa's arm and pulled her up to a house beside the Timber Maniacs building. "These are some great people. They really helped us out back when I was with Zone and Watts in the Forest Owls."

"Forest Owls?" Tessa whispered to herself as Rinoa knocked on the door. The door opened and a large woman stood in the doorway with her hair in a bandana and a large white apron across her stomach. In her hand was a black cast-iron skillet.

"What do you want?" the woman asked when she saw Tessa. She had to fight the urge to hide behind Rinoa under the woman's glare. However, when she saw Rinoa, the woman's face lit up. "I haven't seen you in ages! Come in, come in!"

The woman turned and walked into the house. With her hand still on Tessa's arm, Rinoa followed her. The first thing about the house Tessa noticed was how oddly clean it was. There wasn't even so much as a spaghetti stain on the wall or an empty bottle of wine on the dining room table.

"Sit down," the woman said. "You want anything to drink?"

"We don't really have the time, Candace," Rinoa said. "I just wanted to stop by and say hi."

"Oh," Candace said with disappointment in her voice. "Well, at least tell me who your friend is."

"This is Tessa, she's a SeeD candidate," Rinoa said. When Tessa looked at Rinoa with a dropped jaw, Rinoa just shrugged it off. "We're here on her exam. I can't get much more detailed than that, though."

Candace sat at the table and folded her hands on the table. "You can at least tell me how you've been, you know."

"I've been great," Rinoa said. "Living at the Garden has been great."

"Have I thanked you for getting that Cid guy to have Timber's independence included in the Arkalay Convention?" Candace asked.

"No, but that's okay," Rinoa said. "I was glad to do it."

As the two women continued to talk, Tessa looked around the house. There was a staircase leading up to a second floor, and on the wall leading up was a series of photographs. The first picture was of Rinoa, Candace, and a whole slew of other people in front of the house. Standing beside Rinoa, with his arm around her shoulders, was Squall Leonhart.

She looked out the window, still bored, and saw people walking by. One of them was the man in sunglasses that had been talking with Xu. Tessa blinked and a familiar-looking blonde woman in a dark blue suit passed the window. Tessa stood up and walked to the window, but when she looked out both people were gone.

"I'm going back to the hotel," she said to Rinoa. "Thanks for the tour and all."

"Okay," Rinoa said before turning back to her conversation.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three:

A/N: In case you haven't figured out the "blonde woman" is, this chapter answers that question, while raising a slew of others. R&R!

**Tamarani:** Squall and Seifer, huh? Tessa would _so_ hate to hear that :)

**Baron Lundgvist:** Thanks for pointing out some of my problems. As for the research, I do this for _fun_ and, as such, am not going to kill myself to make it look "professional." Call me lazy, 'cause I am. Besides, Tessa admitted that she didn't know what she was doing, remember?

**Pixie-Stixs:** You want another chapter with Blondie? Well, here it is. (However, It's the last one until the end, but other "villians" show up, heh heh.)

**Rakunya:** A filler? Kind of, but I wanted some character interaction, since Rinoa plays a significant role later in the fic. And besides, who didn't love the butt-beatin' momma in Timber?

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"Where are you?" Tessa asked herself as she walked down the street in the direction of the two people she had seen. When she reached a staircase leading down to a pub, Tessa hesitated and stood at the top. Either they had gone done down to the pub, or they were continuing down the street to another train station.

Deciding that the pub would be the most likely place, Tessa jumped down the steps three at a time. She pushed her way past people walking up, and reached the end of the stairs where there was no one else.

On her left was a small souvenir stand, which was manned by a bored-looking teenage girl, and her right was nothing more than a giant pile of trash. Tessa walked to the girl and pulled ten Gil out of her pack. "Did a man and woman in suits come through here?"

"Yeah," the girl said after Tessa slammed the money on the counter. "Why?"

"Nothing," Tessa said as she walked away. She pushed open the door to the pub and a large quantity of smoke poured out. She slipped in unnoticed and looked around, not seeing the subjects of her search. She didn't know how, but Tessa had a feeling that the man she had come to refer to as "Sunglasses" and woman she knew only as "Blonde" were connected.

_She's kicked my ass every time I've seen her_, Tessa thought as she cautiously sidled up to the bar and sat down. _I'd better be careful_.

"We don't serve kids here," a woman said when she came over to Tessa. "Get out."

"Just tell me something," Tessa asked her as she sat on a stool. "Have you served a man in sunglasses today?"

"Girlie, I've served a lot of people today. Try to be more specific," the woman said as she took a rag that was flung over her shoulder and wiped the bar. "And why do you want to know?"

"He was traveling with my mom," Tessa lied. "She has blonde hair and they were both wearing suits."

"Didn't serve anyone like that," the woman said as she slung the dirty rag back over her shoulder. "People use this place as a shortcut to the TV station, though. Maybe you can find them there."

"Thanks," Tessa said as she jumped off the stool. "Where do these people go?"

"Through the door in the back," the woman told Tessa as she pointed to a door. "If you do find your ma, tell her to stop by the Auphora Pub for a drink."

Tessa walked to the door and eased it open. She heard people talking and poked her head out. Blonde and Sunglasses were standing in an alley and it was obvious that Blonde was upset. There were two trashcans by the door, and Tessa ducked behind them as she closed the door behind her.

"I saw the girl," Sunglasses said unemotionally. "The SeeD, Xu, told me that they had been attacked by a pair of crazed men and that the girl was talking about taking samples of the dead woman's body. It's a good thing we removed it before she could."

"How did they get on the train, anyway?" Blonde asked angrily. "It was your job to take care of them. The bosses gave me the girl."

"And you've done a great job with that," Sunglasses said. While there was no change in his voice, Tessa could obviously tell he was being sarcastic.

"Don't change the subject," Blonde responded. "You let that subject get loose and it killed two people. Luckily we got both of them, but nobody has been able to find the subject."

"We don't have to worry about that,"' Sunglasses said calmly. "The SeeD said that the girl threw it through a window, it's dead now."

"Well, we have to retrieve it somehow," Blonde said furiously. Tessa risked a peek around one of the trashcans and saw Blonde pointing a finger at Sunglasses. "So get to it."

Tessa felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at a man in a dark blue suit. He had light skin and his brown hair was in spikes. Her eyes widened as he said, "What have we here?"

The man easily yanked Tessa up, knocking over the trashcans in the process. The commotion caught the attention of the two talkers. Blonde's eyes grew wide in surprise before narrowing in thought. "Where'd you find that, Reno?" she asked the man with spiked hair.

"Right here, Elena, with the rest of the trash," Reno said as he shook Tessa. She was too shocked to think of trying to get away. "What should I do with it?"

"Let me take care of it," Elena said with a grin spreading across her face. She pushed a stray lock of her blonde hair behind her ear with her gloved left hand. Tessa finally came to her senses and began looking around for an out. The man named Reno was blocking the door, but there was a staircase behind Elena and the man in Sunglasses.

"Let me go!" Tessa yelled as she started to fight Reno, but his grip was too strong. Elena began walking toward Tessa, pulling out a pocketknife. "Please!"

"No can do," Reno said. "This is business, not personal; and, as I'm sure you know, the business world is a cutthroat world."

Reno and Elena laughed at the joke, but Tessa took advantage of the situation and kicked out. Her foot met with an empty beer bottle, which flew up and hit Elena in the face. Then Tessa drove the back of her head into Reno's face. He let go and she grabbed him by the arm and threw him over her shoulder into the trashcans. She grabbed the door to the pub, but it was locked.

"Shit!" she yelled as she backed up into a wall.

"You've really pissed me off," Reno said as he stood up. He pulled a red rock out of his pocket and it began to glow. "Do you know what this is? This is Summon Materia, and it houses Shiva. I think you need to cool off."

"Oh, God," Tessa pleaded as the Materia in Reno's hand glowed much brighter. Tessa covered her eyes and, when the light abated, she lowered her arms and saw Shiva standing before her.

Shiva was in the form of a tall, pale, blue woman. She had yellow hair and her clothes were dark blue and revealing. She raised her hands and a large amount of snow and ice began forming over her head. Her eyes were narrowed and she showed no emotion.

"Stop!" Tessa yelled as she raised her right hand. A small flame leapt out of her palm and hit Shiva with no effect.

"A Fire spell?" Elena said with a laugh. "That won't save you!"

Shiva thrust her hands down and Tessa turned her back to the pale blue figure. She felt a cold wind bite into her and pieces of ice, large and small, hit her in the back of the head and shoulders. Tessa fell and the cold abated.

A hand grabbed her and lifted her back up. She was spun around and slammed into the brick wall. Reno laughed and punched her in the face before he wrapped his right hand around her neck. Reno began to choke Tessa and gagging noises emitted from her as she fought to stay conscious. He laughed and told Tessa, "You're lucky that Shiva is one of the weaker Summon Materia."

Tessa grabbed at Reno's hand but couldn't pry it loose. He raised his other hand and punched her again. When he withdrew his hand, it had blood on it: her nose was bleeding. She kicked at his feet but it did no good.

"Save some for me!" Elena said. Reno let Tessa go and she slid to the grimy ground, sucking in a grateful lungful of air. However, before she could do anything else, Elena grabbed Tessa by the shirt and threw her into the trashcans.

"So you think you can burn me and get away with it?" Elena screamed as she hit Tessa with her gloved hand. "Tell me, does revenge taste better cold?"

Tessa shoved her right hand into Elena's face and a bolt of lightning shot out of it. Elena reared back and shrieked as Tessa slapped the bird-shaped pin on her shirt. It glowed and Elena fell back from the light. As the light lessened a large, fiery bird flapped its wings and blew Elena and Reno away from Tessa.

Grabbing the bird's wing, Tessa pulled herself up. Elena and Reno easily stood up and stood behind Sunglasses. Elena grabbed his arm and hissed, "Get her, Rude!"

Rude, the man in the sunglasses, smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another red rock, a Summon Materia. He smiled but spoke with the same flat tone he had used in his conversation with Elena. "I'm told that you tried to save yourself with a similar trick the first time you met with Elena. This attempt will meet with the same fate."

The bird looked at Tessa and she managed to choke out a response. "This is Phoenix, it won't."

"Well, this is Bahamut," Elena gloated. "It will."

The Materia glowed and Tessa averted her eyes. When she opened them again, a large black and blue winged dragon was looming high above them all. It snorted and glared at Tessa, who shrunk against the bird in fear.

"Not so high and mighty, now are we?" Elena laughed.

Bahamut reared its head black and sucked up a large amount of air as Rude dropped all expression from his face and his comrades laughed. Tessa looked again at the Phoenix. It took its head and tipped her onto its back. It spread its wings and flapped above Bahamut and the three suddenly angry people.

"Get her!" Elena yelled at Rude as she pushed the arm holding the Materia. It fell from his grasp and clattered to the floor. Just as Bahamut was about to fire at the giant bird, it fizzled and was sucked back into the rock.

"Now look at what you've done," Reno yelled at Elena as Rude picked the Materia up and slid it back into his pocket. Phoenix flapped its immense wings and carried Tessa away.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four:

A/N: Anyone else think Tessa's been settling down and becoming a tolerable person? I do, and it's so _not_ Tessa. Therefore, I'm doing something about it.

And, to keep my promise, this chapter is dedicated to Pixie-Stixs. Thanks for the summary (wink)

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Tessa spilled onto the ground outside of Timber where no one could see her. Phoenix landed on its talons and towered over her beaten form. It leaned down and folded its wings over her. It lifted its head and cried before bursting into flame.

After the smoke cleared, Tessa sat up with all of her injuries having been healed by the Phoenix's regenerative power. She shook her hair out of her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees. She finally knew that there was a connection between her and the mystery disease, and it involved the people in blue suits.

"He mentioned Xu," Tessa said as she felt her nose. She was sure it had been broken by Reno in the alley, but it felt just like it had before. "How does he know Xu?"

Then she remembered how interested Xu had been in the autopsy and wouldn't let her take samples to test, and Tessa began to become suspicious of her examiner. _I'd better get back anyway_, she thought. _I do still have an exam, after all_.

---

"You're late," Xu said angrily. She glared at Tessa as the younger girl jogged up to the hotel. She had stopped to change clothes because she didn't want questions about how she had gotten so dirty. "I'm deducting this from your score."

"Sorry, Ma'am," Tessa gasped as she bent over to catch her breath. "I just ran into some heavy foot traffic. It won't happen again."

"It had better not," Xu said. "I'm sick and tired of your unprofessional attitude. When we get back to Garden I'm going to talk to the Headmaster about you."

"Yes, Ma'am," Tessa said as she stared at her shoes, afraid that looking at Xu might give away her suspicions. "Sorry, Ma'am."

"Very well," Xu said. "It turns out that the train to Galbadia City has not been here for a week, so we can't take it."

"Why can't we rent a car, Xu?" Zell asked. "It would be hell to lug all of this crap across a country."

"Timber doesn't rent cars," Xu said. "However, I have arranged for another mode of transportation. We will be taking a Shinra airship to Galbadia City, but we have to find our own way back."

"An airship!" Adette gushed excitedly. "I've always wanted to ride in an airship! This is so exciting!"

"This is so awesome!" Zell yelled as he gave Phelan a high-five. "I haven't been on an airship in ages!"

"Woo hoo," Tessa said apathetically, but no one heard her. She was too busy eyeing Xu to really care about riding on an airship.

"Aren't you excited?" Rinoa asked as she leaned beside Tessa. "It's an airship!"

"I'm… conflicted," Tessa quickly lied. She thought of an excuse as Rinoa looked oddly at her. "Remember what I told you earlier?"

"Oh, yes," Rinoa said thoughtfully. "I had completely forgotten. Well, don't worry about it, I'm sure everything will be fine."

_What did I tell her_? Tessa asked herself as Rinoa stood back up and walked over to Zell. The brunette jumped on his back and covered his eyes with her hands to great comic effect. The only people not laughing were Xu and Tessa, whose eyes met in mutual annoyance.

Tessa quickly looked away, before Xu became aware of her suspicions. She sighed and scratched her neck. Jayne's collar chafed her neck, and Tessa remembered how Xu had recognized it. There was so much she didn't know about her examiner, and it worried her. Her fingers wrapped themselves around the half-heart and she tried to gather the strength to act like she should.

"Hey, Tessa, is this awesome or what?" Phelan exclaimed as he slapped her on the back. "We're going to be in an airship."

"Yeah, alright!" Tessa yelled angrily. 'Let's go ride an airship! It's exciting because we're only, what, three years old? Grow up and stop acting like a stupid man, you idiot!"

"Whatever,' Phelan said with a shrug. He was too used to Tessa's behaviour to think anything of it. In fact, everyone rolled his or her eyes, everyone but Xu.

---

The airship was a dressed-up blimp. It was painted silver and gleamed in the sunlight, with the rudders spinning in the wind. Everyone, except Xu, stared at it in awe, even Tessa. It was easily five times larger than a vessel.

"Amazing, huh?" Tessa heard Adette say to Phelan. "And to think we're going to be riding it!"

"Oh, yes, it is the most wonderful thing in the world," Tessa said sarcastically. "Maybe afterward we can hold hands and sing songs together!"

"We weren't talking to you," Adette scoffed. She looked to make sure no one was looking before she flipped Tessa the bird.

Tessa shot Adette a venomous look but didn't respond further. Rather, she tightened her grip on the pack in her hand. She was tired of lugging it around and was grateful for a place to rest. She hadn't mentioned her third attack to anyone, since she believed that she'd just be laughed off.

As the group boarded Tessa noticed a small group of men in blue uniforms with black masks running around the bottom of the airship, passing around paper bags.

"They're Shinra employees," Rinoa told Tessa when she saw the younger girl looking at them. "Mostly guys that couldn't get into SOLDIER"

Tessa's head snapped in Rinoa's direction as she remembered a glimmer of something. "What's SOLDIER?"

"You're from Junon and you don't know about SOLDIER?" Rinoa said with a laugh as she followed Tessa through the door and into the airship. "What were you doing?"

She was unable to answer right away because she was taken aback by the size of the interior of the airship. Her eyes spread across the expanse of the airship's cargo hold, with high towers of crates strapped into place and an even higher ceiling.

"Hello," Rinoa said as she waved a hand in Tessa's face, "can you hear me?"

"What?" Tessa said as she regained her senses and remembered that they were conversing. "Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry," Rinoa said with a smile. "I'm just glad you made a friend on this trip."

Tessa's right eyebrow shot up into her bangs. "I haven't made any friends. Did you go insane or something?"

"We're not friends?" Rinoa's smile fell and she clasped her hands behind her back.

"I didn't know you thought we were friends," Tessa said as she tried to hold back a laugh. "We just talked and you gave me a tour of Timber. I appreciate it end everything, but I have friends and they're nothing like you."

"Clearly not," Rinoa said in a hurt voice. "I didn't even have to be nice to you. I'm famous! I'm Rinoa Heartilly! I am the Sorceress that helped beat three other Sorceresses."

"Calm down," Tessa said, openly laughing. "You're a hero, I get it. That doesn't mean I want to be friends with you, though."

Rinoa wiped a tear from her eye, but her voice was filled more with anger than sorrow. "You know, that collar really fits you. You're one Grade A bitch."


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five:

A/N: Sorry for the short chapters, but I really couldn't think of anything to write. However, the first FFVII "hero" debuts, and it's probably not who you'd think!

**Pixie-Stixs:** Yeah, it's Elena. She's a bit OOC (and is VERY much so at the end, which I haven't written yet), but it works for the storyline.

**Gullwing Yunie:** Thanks for the kind words about my summons. I felt that there should be more interaction between the characters and the GFs (kind of like Yuna and her Aeons in FFX).

Also, I'm taking a hiatus on writing Resurrection, but it won't affect my updates. (I'm written well into the 40s chapter-wise.) I have a killer English term paper coming up, and most of my attention will be there.

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After everyone else had gone to the passenger cabin, Tessa settled down in a corner of the cargo hold, hidden away by large crates. The floor was dirty and cold gusts of wind blew through the hold, but Tessa didn't feel like dealing with people.

She reached into her pack and pulled out a book without a title, but had the name _Rydia_ embossed on the lower right hand corner. The book was an old treasure Tessa had owned for years and read several times as she grew up.

The book was the memoir of a woman named Rydia, a green-haired, alabaster skinned Summoner. It was unknown whether or not Summoners actually existed, and they were never taught about at Gardens. Tessa had only stumbled upon them when she found the book in her jacket pocket at Lotia Garden.

_I first met Cecil and Kain after my mother died, _Rydia had written._ My village, Mist, had caught fire and I was loomed over her body crying. Cecil told me that he had killed my mom's Summon, a dragon made of mist, which caused her to die._

_Hating them so much, I made my first Summon, Titan. However, being so young, I couldn't control it. Titan split the earth and I fell into a chasm with Cecil and Kain. I don't remember how long I fell._

_After that, the next thing I remember is that I saw Cecil fighting men in a strange room. He killed three of them and the fourth ran away. He promised to protect me and said he would make up for killing my mother. I didn't believe him, but…_

"What the hell!" Tessa heard a man yell from elsewhere in the cargo hold. She shoved the book back into her pack and stood up. Peering around the edge of a crate, Tessa saw an old man arguing with one of the men in blue.

"Do you know who I am, you stupid fuck?" the old man yelled as he jumped up and down. Dressed in jeans, a grey sweatshirt, and a blue jacket over the sweatshirt, his look was clearly "frumpy." On his head was a crop of blonde hair, which were spiked up without the obvious use of gel many people younger than he wore. Partially covering his forehead was a pair of aviator's goggles. "I'm Cid Highwind, the greatest pilot ever!"

"I understand, Mr. Highwind," the young man pleaded, "but you're still a stowaway."

"You're Cid Highwind!" Tessa said as she stepped out of the shadows. Her shock-soaked voice betrayed her stony face. "I'm a huge fan."

"Every-fucking-one is a fucking fan, you stupid bitch!" Cid yelled at her. "So, if you don't fucking mind, I have some shit to deal with!"

"Hey!" Tessa yelled back, her admiration quickly draining away. She walked over to him and stuck her face up to his as best she could. "I don't have to take any crap from you, Old Man! I want you to apologize, now!"

"You'll get an apology when hell freezes over!" Cid yelled back. "I don't even know who the fuck you are!"

"I don't even know why the fuck you're mad!" Tessa responded at the top of her voice. "But just because you're famous doesn't mean you can treat me like shit! I'll kick your ass if I have to!"

Cid threw his head back and laughed. "Girlie, I helped beat Sephiroth and saved the world from Meteor and Jenova. I don't think I have to worry too much about you!"

"Help!" the third person yelled out. "I need some help!"

"Are you willing to risk it?" Tessa yelled back, her fist raised in anger. "I'll do it!"

"Only the weak brag," Cid said with another laugh. "I'd like to see you try. I need a fucking laugh."

Tessa narrowed her eyes and tightened her fist. "You won't be able to laugh with a broken jaw!"

"Stop!" yelled another man in blue as he tackled Tessa, knocking her to the ground. She punched him in the head, yelling and thrashing as Cid laughed. Tessa broke loose, but before she could get back up another two men jumped on top of her.

"Don't forget about him!" Tessa heard the first uniformed man say as Cid walked away, his laughter ringing in her ears.

---

"What did she do?" Xu asked with a sigh as two uniformed men pushed Tessa into the passengers' cabin. "Did she attack a crew member?"

"No, Ma'am, not exactly," one man said as the other pushed the sullen redhead into a chair. Tessa scrunched up her face and growled at him. He jerked back his hand as she snapped at it, her teeth bared. "She got into a fight with a stowaway: Cid Highwind."

"You attacked a global hero?" Xu's face registered a million emotions at once as she looked at Tessa, who crossed her arms over her chest and responded with a grunt.

"She didn't attack him, Ma'am," the second man said. "I was there the whole time. She said she was a fan, and he brushed her off. They got into an argument, and it was about to get physical when we interfered."

Phelan looked at Tessa with a smug look and she growled at him in return. He just laughed and looked out the window. Zell and Adette were exchanging looks in Tessa's direction and whispering to each other. Rinoa was clearly trying hard to keep from looking at Tessa, but it was evident she was listening to the conversation.

"The old bastard started it," Tessa grumbled at the two people in uniform. The men looked from Xu to Tessa and back to Xu, who merely shrugged. "Stupid men lying about me."

"Thank you," Xu said angrily as she looked at Tessa. "I'll take care of it from here."

"Yes, Ma'am," the first man said.

The two men were walking out the door when Phelan made a loud exclamatory noise. "What the hell is that?"

"Do you see something?" Xu yelled as she ran to the window. Tessa simply took the opportunity to throw a magazine she had found at one of the uniformed men. "Dear Hyne, we're doomed!"

"What is it?" Tessa yelled as she finally jumped up and ran to the window like everyone else had. She gasped when she finally saw what had drawn everyone else's attention.

Flying in the direction of the airship was a large dragon Tessa had seen earlier that day. Its sleek body was black with the skin of its wings a light blue. The redhead backed away from the window, her mouth wide open.

_They sent it after me!_ she thought. _They actually sent Bahamut after me! I'm going to die!_

With her eyes still trained on the small pane of glass, Tessa saw Bahamut open its mouth. Its body grew as Bahamut sucked in a large amount of air, preparing to attack.

"Everyone, away gather around me!" Rinoa yelled. Tessa looked at her, stationary as everyone else moved. Rinoa raised her left hand and a clear, purple orb surrounded everyone but Tessa.

"Wait!" Adette yelled. Tessa didn't so much as hear her so much as read her lips, though. Rinoa looked at Tessa, her eyes wide.

Tessa glanced back at the window in time to see Bahamut release his Mega Flare at the airship. She raised her hands in front of her face as the blast crashed through the wall.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six:

A/N: There is a lot going on in this chapter, some beyond belief, but it should give some insight into the characters' minds, especially Tessa's. I'm finally revealing just why she hates men. I've hinted at it on the train, but now the whole story comes out. I do get a little graphic in some parts, so this isn't for the weak-stomached.

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Coughing as she pushed a piece of fuselage aside, Tessa dug out of the wreckage of the airship. She had no idea how she survived, but she couldn't feel her left leg.

The sky was a dark shadow that covered the moon and stars, but she could see small fires surrounding her where pieces of the airship had caught fire. Pillars of smoke drifted into the air and disappeared as they dispersed with the wind.

"Anyone?" she rasped as she pulled herself onto the top of the pile of metal she had been trapped in. "Hello?"

When she received no response, Tessa raised her right hand and shot a bolt of lighting into the sky. Hoping that someone would see her distress signal, she then lowered her right hand and a small flame appeared in it. Crackling as it rested on her palm, Tessa shined the flamed onto her leg, which was covered in blood and twisted in the wrong direction.

_I hate to do it_, Tessa thought as she placed her left hand on the leg. A green light shot out of her hand and a warm feeling spread through body. Her leg snapped back into place with a loud CRACK and she shuddered. When she took her hand away, Tessa's leg was completely healed, with the tendons and bones repaired, realigned, and reattached.

"Is there anyone here?" Tessa yelled again as she slowly crawled down the side of the wreckage. "Is anyone else alive?"

"Tessa? Is that you?" someone else yelled. "Where are you?"

"Over here!" she yelled back. She raised her right hand over her head again and sent another Thunder spell into the sky. "Follow my signal!"

A few moments later Adette fell into Tessa's line of sight. Her shoulder was covered in blood and her face was dirty with a long, deep cut running from the base of her neck to her right temple. "Finally, I found you."

"You need to be treated!" Tessa said looking around for her pack. Miraculously, it lay at the bottom of the pile of fuselage, undamaged. "Don't move!"

Tessa jumped to the ground, her left leg giving out because it was still numb from the Curaga spell she had used. She grabbed the bag and squatted beside Adette. Her hand traced the cut as Adette winced.

"Have you seen anyone else?" Tessa asked as she pulled a plastic baggie out of the pack. "Do you know if the others are okay?"

"Yeah, they're all fine. Miss Rinoa's Protect spell blocked a lot of the damage, though some did slip through," Adette said through gritted teeth. Tessa ripped open a small package and pulled out a moist, white strip of cloth-like paper. She pressed it against Adette's neck, causing the other teen to cry out. "What are you doing?"

"I'm disinfecting it," Tessa said simply as she rubbed the swab up and down Adette's neck. "If I don't, it'll get infected."

"Adette, are you okay?" someone else yelled. Phelan, Rinoa, and Xu soon stumbled up to the two girls, dragging Zell between the three of them.

"I'm fine, Mr. Zell," Adette said as she winced again. "Tessa's healing me."

"I guess it's a good thing you came after all," Xu said as she collapsed next to the pile of fuselage. "Nobody else here knows anything about medicine."

"I do know some things from my travels," Rinoa said as she sat beside Xu, still not looking at Tessa. "I wouldn't have survived too long if I were incompetent."

"How are you?" Phelan asked Tessa as he held a hand to his bleeding side. "It seems like the ladies made out better than us guys."

"Tell me about it," Zell wheezed as he pressed a hand to his chest, which was seeping a large amount of blood.

"Shut up and stop moving!" Tessa yelled at her companions. She turned to Adette and sighed. "I'll be back, hold this to your neck."

"But it burns," Adette whined as she placed her hand on the alcohol swab.

"Do I look like I care?" Tessa snapped as he stood up and grabbed her pack. Her eyes traveled from injured person to injured person."

"How are you guys?" Tessa asked Xu and Rinoa as she knelt by them, but she couldn't at either of them. "Anything I need to look at before I take care of the guys? Any sharp pains or severe bleeding?"

"We're fine," Xu said with a thankful tone that almost drew Tessa's gaze. "They need your help more than we do."

Tessa was glad when she stood up and walked away from the two older women. She got down onto her knees and lifted Phelan's shirt so she could see his side. She wiped away a large amount of blood as he grimaced.

"Relax, it'll hurt less," Tessa told him.

"How am I supposed to relax?" Phelan asked as Tessa put her left hand against his wound. "I have a hole in my body!"

"Quit whining," Tessa said as she felt Phelan's skin reattach underneath her hand. "I broke my leg."

"Really?" Phelan said. "It doesn't look like it, you must be tough."

"I healed myself, you idiot," she said as stood up. "There, you're fine. It was only a flesh wound, so it didn't take that much to heal."

"What about me?" Zell croaked. Tessa looked at him and fought to keep from rolling her eyes.

"Move your hand and let me see just what I'm dealing with," she said. Zell lifted his hand and Tessa saw something she had never seen before. "What is that?"

"Look at his back!" Xu yelled from her perch. "Is it serious?"

"The man has a pole coming out his chest!" Tessa yelled when she saw him. "You could've told me sooner!"

"Is it serious?" Zell asked with a cough. He kept coughing and soon threw up on Tessa's pants. She took her shirt off, ignoring the gasps of everyone else, and wrapped it around her right hand.

"You have a pole in your chest," she repeated. "Of course it's serious. I need to know something, how did it go in?"

"Through his chest," Xu said irritably. "How could someone so stupid have gotten into medicine?"

Tessa whirled around and glared at Xu. "I meant, how did the pole go through his chest so I can best remove it, you stupid bitch! If I leave it in or take it out in the wrong way it'll cause even worse damage."

"He fell forward and landed on it," Adette said as she stood up and walked to Tessa. "I remember because I'm the one that pushed him onto it. Sorry, Mr. Zell."

"Fine, whatever," Tessa said as she shook her head.

"It's okay," Zell said as he gasped for breath.

"Shut up, you're only making things worse!" Tessa said as she stood behind Zell. "Phelan, grab his arms and hold him steady."

"Why?"

"Don't make me say it," Tessa said as she spat on the ground. Phelan grabbed Zells's arms and looked as apologetic as he could. Tessa placed her hands on the small bit of pole sticking out of Zell's back and steadied her feet. "This going to hurt, and I didn't bring any morphine."

She tugged on the pole and Zell screamed. Tessa stopped and realized she wasn't strong enough to pull the bar out. Not wanting to admit defeat, she tossed the shirt to the side and grabbed the bar again. She placed one foot on Zell's butt and steadied herself with the other.

"Hold on!" she yelled as she pulled with her hands and pushed with her foot. The pole slid a few inches but didn't come out. Zell was clearly in pain, and she wasn't doing him any favours. "Phelan, you pull this damn thing out, I'll hold him in place."

"What?" Phelan asked, not understanding what was going on. "You're having me do it?"

"I'm not strong enough, okay?" Tessa said angrily. "Now pull the pole out before I shove one in you."

"Heh, hold on, Man," Phelan said as he slapped Zell on the shoulder.

"Are you stupid?" Tessa yelled as she took Zell's hands and held him up. "You're just adding more trauma and stress to the body. It may be macho, but I take it being macho is a sign of stupidity."

"You just wish you were as strong as me," Phelan said with a laugh as he gripped the pole. "Hang on man, you have to finish telling me about that Undersea Lab."

"Just pull the pole out!" Tessa yelled. Phelan grunted a response as he pulled on the pole. After a few seconds of Zell's screaming, Phelan fell back with the pole in his hand. Zell fell to the ground, dragging Tessa down with him.

"Ow," Phelan said as he stood up. "Are you okay?"

"Grab my pack!" Tessa yelled at him as she struggled to get Zell to sit up. "Pull out a clean shirt!"

"How's this?" Phelan asked when he re-emerged with Tessa's uniform top.

"Not my uniform! I only brought one!" Tessa yelled back.

"This is the only one there is," Phelan replied as he threw the uniform to Tessa. She gritted her teeth as she caught it and pressed it against Zell's chest, soaking up a large amount of blood.

After a few seconds of Zell not breathing, Tessa dropped him to the ground and slapped her left hand on his chest, right over his wound. A green light slipped from her fingertips and into his body, illuminating him from the inside out. When she pulled her hand away, there was no more wound on his chest, but he still wasn't breathing.

"Shit! Not again!" Tessa screamed as she began pushing on Zell's chest. When she couldn't feel a heartbeat, she pushed Zell's shirt up, exposing his chest. Tessa put her left hand on his chest, warm blood still marking where his wound had been only seconds before.

She thought back on her discussion with Aili the day before she received her exam assignment, and placed her right hand on Zell's chest. A small bolt flew out of it and into Zell, causing his muscles to jerk. She then felt for another heartbeat and found a weak one.

Tessa pushed down on his chest again and breathed into his mouth, trying her best to stabilize his pulse. If only she had better medical supplies at her disposal. However, she didn't; nobody had anticipated a thing such as an airship crash to happen. When she thought she could do no more, Tessa sat back and sighed out of frustration and exhaustion.

"Amazing," Xu said as she placed a hand on Tessa's shoulder, causing her to involuntarily flinch. Xu didn't notice, but instead leaned on Tessa. "I didn't know you'd mastered Curaga."

"I haven't" Tessa admitted as she jerked her shoulder from Xu's clasp. Xu almost fell, but caught herself. "I'm only in Advanced White Magic, not Master White Magic."

"I think you should put a shirt on," Rinoa said out of he blue as stood on Tessa's other side. "It's improper for a girl to go around topless."

Tessa closed her eyes, trying to abate her irritation. It had been a trying few days, and she was desperately in need of a release, so she lost it when Rinoa told her how a girl should act. She stood up and began screaming. "There is nothing wrong with a girl showing her body!"

"I didn't mean…" Rinoa started to say, but Tessa was starting a rampage that had been building since the beginning of her exam.

"No," Tessa screamed as she jabbed a finger in Rinoa's chest. "I have put up with your sweetness and moral superiority as long as I can! I just saved a man's life, and all you can tell me is that I need to put a shirt on because it's improper!

"I am not ashamed of my body! In fact, why don't I get rid of this, too?" She screamed as she ripped off her bra. She held it over her head with her right hand, and within moments, she had set it on fire with a spell. "There! Now how improper am I?"

"Not bad," Phelan said after whistling. Tessa whirled around, her nostrils flared. He immediately realized his folly and tried to apologize, to no avail.

"Is this all I am to you?" Tessa screamed as she grabbed her breasts. "Just a pair of boobs? A couple of knockers? I may be a woman, but I am far more than that!"

"Calm down," Phelan said as he leapt forward and grabbed Tessa's arms, trying to restrain her. In her continuing fit of rage, Tessa reared back and head-butted him as hard as she could. Phelan let go and doubled over in pain. Tessa jerked her foot up, hitting him in the chin and knocking him to the ground. She kicked him in the stomach for good measure before sneering in his face.

"I warned you!" she screamed in his face, which was wracked with pain. "I told you that I was going to kick your ass, you stupid man!"

"Stop right now!" Xu yelled at Tessa. "If you hit him again, I'll fail you here and now! You have been nothing but an annoying pain in the ass since the first moment I met you!"

Tessa got her breathing under control and stormed away, out of the light of the airship's fire. On the horizon, she saw several bright lights, Galbadia City. She fell to her knees, tears filling her eyes and she tried to hold back the memories flooding into her mind.

"_Please! Let me go!" a younger Tessa cried as she was drug into a dense forest by a man whose face she couldn't see. Rocks and branched dug into her back, which only increased her fear. "Please, don't hurt me!"_

"_I won't hurt you,"_ _the man leered as he threw Tessa onto the ground._ _"At least, not too much."_

_Tessa screamed at the top of her lungs, but the man punched her in the face. She stopped screaming and began sobbing as he tore her pants off. He grabbed at her breasts with one hand as he held her down with the other, preventing her escape. She scratched at his strong, hairy arms, but he only laughed as she fought back._

_He stood up and she started to crawl away, but he kicked her in the ribs, knocking her to the ground. She curled up in pain as he dropped his pants and stepped out of them. His strong hands grabbed her and pulled her back to him. She scratched at the ground trying to get away._

_The man grabbed her underwear and pulled them down, then flipped her over. He pressed himself against her thighs, laughing as she sobbed, revelling in her fear and despair. Then he thrust into her, and she screamed out in pain. In retaliation, he punched her again as he raped her, then slammed his hand down on her mouth. She tasted salt as muffled sobs escaped between her attackers fingers._

_Then, over as soon as it had begun, he pulled out of her and stood up. He pulled on his pants and walked away, leaving the young girl crying and holding her vagina as blood ran down her legs._

"Are you okay?" Adette asked as she sat down beside Tessa. She handed her the jacket she had been wearing. "Here, it's cold out."

"Thanks," Tessa said as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She slipped the jacket on and zipped it up. "I'm fine, you can go away."

"You're not fine," Adette said. She grabbed Tessa's face and turned it in her direction. "What's wrong, tell me."

"I don't do heart-to-hearts, I don't do girl talk," Tessa said as she looked back at the city. "There are things that only I can deal with, okay?"

"It must not be fun to be you," Adette said with a wince as she laid her head on Tessa's shoulder.

"Hasn't been so far," Tessa said with an exhausted sigh as she rubbed her bleary eyes and leaned against Adette. Within minutes, Tessa was asleep and Adette was stroking her hair.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

A/N: Finally, the Resident Evil part of this little tale takes place. Yes, I mean zombies. However, since there is already a "zombie" status effect in FFVIII, I've decided to go with another name, which will be revealed in the next chapter. I swear, it's getting more and more out of hand, just like the games! Still, the story finally begins to settle into place, which isn't as bad as it sounds.

And I know, three chapter in one update, all of which are important to the fic. WOO HOO! Anyway, read on, read on. (PS, you finally understand why I chose this particular pen name...)

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The walk to Galbadia City took longer than anyone had thought. The group had to stop and rest often because of their injuries, but it was Adette who was having the most trouble.

"My neck hurts," she whined as she rubbed the inflamed sore where the sun had begun to cook her long laceration. They had stopped for their seventh break, and the whole troupe was tired.

When no one responded Adette groaned and flopped backward onto the ground. Tessa felt oddly guilty, as though there was something she could do that she hadn't. She had used her only Curaga on Zell, using her last White Magic spell in the process, and somehow her entire supply of non-magical medicines had disappeared from her pack. Still, she considered a miracle she had even been able to find it, since none of the others had been able to find any possessions of their own, with the exception of Adette. The brunette-haired girl had found two of her smaller guns among the wreckage, but that was all.

"If I could do something I would," Tessa whispered to herself as she threw a small pebble into a larger group of rocks. No one had mentioned Tessa's outburst, so Zell was clueless as to why she was being given the cold shoulder. However, he joined them immediately since he barely knew the redhead. Adette was the only one that said anything her, and even then the conversation was forced.

"Break's over," Xu said as she stood up from her perch on a large rock. Xu and Rinoa had received the least of the injuries from the crash, and as a result, they were the first to say when the rests were over. Groaning and brimming with complaint, Zell and the three SeeD candidates stood up and stumbled after the other two.

They reached Galbadia City by nightfall, and everyone was tired. Tessa, exhausted, plopped down in the middle of the street and tossed head back, sweat covering her face. She unzipped Adette's jacket slightly, allowing the night air to cool off her body.

While she was doing this, Zell and Xu walked away to see if they could rent a car to drive to first destination, Caraway Mansion. Tessa had figured out that Rinoa was going to see her father, but hadn't figured out why she was being so secretive. Still, when it came down to it, Tessa didn't care.

_It's quiet,_ Tessa thought as she stretched her aching legs, trying to reduce the lactic acid build-up in her muscles. _I always thought a big city like this would be louder, busier. Junon was always loud when I went there, but, to be honest, Balamb Garden was much louder than that. It's weird, though. This city is almost like a ghost town._

Then, as if to confirm her suspicions, the sound of a woman screaming filled the street. Tessa looked around and saw a woman at the window of a nearby building. She was hanging out, yelling at Tessa. "Are you kids insane? Get inside before the killers get you!"

_Whatever,_ Tessa thought as she closed her eyes. _Weirdo._

Soon, though, another woman screamed. This time Tessa opened her eyes and saw Phelan, Adette, and Rinoa running to the rental agency. Tessa painfully scrambled to her feet and followed, her muscles tensing up again.

Lying on the ground, with terror etched across her face, was Xu. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and pointing at the entrance to the agency where Zell was clearly fighting another man. It wasn't the fight that was causing Xu's meltdown, though; it was the man Zell was fighting.

He was stooped over, half-hidden by shadow. However, when Zell punched him under a streetlight, Tessa went into shock. She wasn't grossed out like Phelan and Adette behind her, whom could be heard vomiting. Tessa recognized something about the man, something that made her skin crawl.

Half of his face and his left arm were missing in gory, bloody realism. His skin was grey and peeling back from his body, revealing darkened muscles and dried-out organs. Tessa recognized the symptoms of death immediately, having sat in on several autopsies before transferring to Balamb Garden. However, what caught her by surprise the most were his red eyes.

"Help!" Zell yelled as he punched the man again. Tessa heard the sickening CRACK of his neck breaking, and the man crumpled to the ground even as his face continued to contort and make biting motions. Zell raised his hands and jumped in triumph. "Never mind!"

Suddenly another man stumbled out of the darkness and latched onto Zell. He bit down and pulled off a long strip of Zell's forearm, chewing on it as his meal screamed. Zell pushed the man away and grabbed his arm where it was bitten, trying to stop the flow of blood seeping between his fingers.

Xu continued to scream as more people, in various stages of decay, poured around them. Rinoa helped Xu up and aimed her right hand at a large mass of the people, all of whom had red eyes. A large river of lava shot out of her hand and hit the people, instantly melting away large portions of their bodies. It did no good, however, as the people merely fell to the ground and began crawling instead of walking.

"We've got to get out of here!" Tessa whispered as she looked around. The exit out of the city was closed off, with hundreds of the rotting people pouring in from outside. There was no escape that she could see. Tessa suddenly felt she should have listened to the woman in the window.

"Let's go! Move it people!" Xu yelled, in control of her senses once again. "Head to the Gate!"

"Those things are in the way," Tessa heard Rinoa say. "We're surrounded."

"Then we fight our way through," Xu responded. "We're not SeeDs for nothing."

"We're not all SeeDs," Tessa reminded Xu as a woman with her neck town out lunged at her. Tessa, adrenaline pumping through her body, reached out and grabbed the woman's arm. She was about to throw her into another of the people when the woman's arm broke off. Tessa dropped the arm and kicked the woman in the head, knocking it off. She stumbled back in shock and ran into another person. She whirled around ready to fight, and she saw it was only Rinoa. "What do we do?"

"You heard Xu, Rinoa said as she raised her hand again, "we fight."

Another jet of lava flew out of Rinoa's hand and melted away even more part of people, and the ones that remained untouched tripped over their comrades. Four fighters clashed with the people, with Adette and Phelan relying on the strength of the others to get through. Tessa used a Fire spell and set a man, with half of his torso ripped off, on fire. The flames spread from person to person, catching each one on fire.

"We need to get inside somewhere!" Xu yelled. "We'll never make it to the Gate at this rate!"

"Make up your mind!" Tessa yelled back angrily. She grabbed a man that had come up behind her and threw him to the ground.

"Wait, I have an idea!" Rinoa hollered. She raised her right hand and it began to glow a bright white. Tessa had to turn away from it and punched a blonde woman in the face, her glove ripping off a piece of cheek. "Everyone, hold on!"

The light emanating from Rinoa's hand grew so bright that Tessa dropped to the ground and covered her head to escape it. When she looked up the attackers had been blown away about fifty metres in all directions.

"What happened?" Adette yelled when she too got up. She was holding her neck with one hand and a gun in the other.

"It's called Holy," Rinoa said calmly. "I picked it up awhile back. Never thought I'd find the occasion to use it again, though."

"Shut up and move it!" Xu yelled. Tessa jumped to her feet and looked around. Xu saw the confused looks on everyone's faces and clarified the direction. "East, head east!"

Tessa ran after Xu, but the others soon passed her. She jumped over a man missing his legs and elbowed a woman in the face. A man reached out and grabbed her, jerking her to the ground. He fell on top of her and was trying to bite her face when their eyes met. He stopped moving and she pushed him off. She kicked him away and pushed herself back up.

By this time, everyone else but Phelan had reached the Gate. He was trying, and failing, to keep a woman missing her jaw away. Tessa ran over and kicked the woman knocking her down. She grabbed Phelan's hand and pulled him toward the Gate.

"Come on guys!" Adette yelled as Zell and Rinoa ran through a door in the side of the Gate. Adette and Xu were standing in the centre of the Gate's arch, which had large sets of bars with pointed edges poised just above reach. It was obvious that they were planning on dropping them to keep the people away.

They were twenty decimetres away when Tessa saw the bars start to shake, which had bits of rust falling to the pavement. They were ten decimetres when it started to fall. When they were five decimetres away it had slid halfway down and Tessa let go of Phelan and jumped. She rolled under the bars just before they hit the ground.

"Phelan!" Adette shouted. Tessa saw her cover her face and look away, and Rinoa did the same. Then she looked back and saw that he had tried to get under the bars too, but he didn't make it all the way. Two large bars had pierced Phelan's right arm and leg, pinning him to the pavement.

Jumping into action, Tessa reached down and pulled her right pant leg up, revealing a knife holster strapped to her ankle. She pulled the knife out, a sharp Mythril dagger, and ran to Phelan. Tessa cut away the fabric around his elbow and pushed the blade into the joint, cutting through the cartilage.

"What are you doing?" he yelled out in pain.

"Saving your life," Tessa said as Phelan's arm shot a spray of blood into her face. She wiped it away and finished cutting off his arm. Looking at Adette and Xu, she asked, "Either of you master Fira?"

When both shook their heads, she shoved her right hand to Phelan's stump and cast Fire. She burned half of his arm closed and cast the spell again to seal it shut, so that he wouldn't lose more blood. Tessa then began to cut into Phelan's leg when the people arrived. A man grabbed Phelan's amputated arm, tore a large piece off, and began to bite into it. A woman was reaching though the bars and grabbing Tessa's hair when a CRACK rang out and the woman stopped.

Tessa knew that it was Adette, and she took the chance to finish severing Phelan's leg and burn it shut like she had his arm. Xu helped her drag him away from the bars, where the people where feasting on his leftover body parts.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight:

A/N: This chapter is more about character development than anything else. (Who would have thought I'd still be developing them this far in?) Some begin to go OOC, but, then again, wouldn't you if an entire city were trying to eat you? R&R!

**Gullwing Yunie: **I like Cid, too, but it was only a cameo (meaning once in the story) appearance. but not to fear, soon a new FFVII hero shall arrive, and takes a formative role in the future of the fic.

**Chocobo Nunchaku:** (Nice new pen nameby the way) Thanks, and I'm really looking forward to seeing where you will go with Epidemic. The prologue was very promising.

Oh, and do check out my oneshot You're Wonderful.

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"Is he okay?" Xu asked after they had had propped Phelan up against a concrete wall. They were in the interior of the Gate, in a small access room. There were three ways one could go from the room: back out the door; up a ladder on the wall opposite the door; or down the same ladder. "He's unconscious."

"He's not unconscious, technically," Tessa replied as she slapped Phelan's face. His cheeks were red from where Tessa hit him, but his eyes were glazed over. Her left breast fell out of the large gap in Adette's jacket, so she tucked it back in and zipped it.

"Then what's wrong with him?" Xu asked as she leaned over Tessa shoulder, fascinated by the gruesome sight. "Why isn't he moving?"

"He's slipping into shock!" Tessa yelled impatiently. "If he doesn't come around…"

"What's going on down there?" Tessa heard Rinoa yell. She sounded as panicked as Tessa felt.

Tessa stood up and wiped her bloody, sweat-drenched face with the sleeve of Adette's jacket. The artillerist wasn't in the room, though, and that caused Tessa to panic. She ran out the door and into the opening of the Arch as a pair of thin, white legs began to descend down the ladder and into the room where Phelan and Xu were.

Adette was standing still, her gun aimed at the bars where the rotting people were stripping Phelan's removed appendages of their meat. Tessa glanced at the people and began gagging when she saw a woman in a nurse's uniform shove a tendon into her mouth. Turning back to Adette, she saw the same blank expression that was on Phelan's face just decimetres away.

She shook her, but Tessa couldn't get the other girl's eyes to focus. Then she slapped her, but it seemed to have the same affect as it had on Phelan. Grabbing the gun and pulling it from Adette's hands have no effect either.

"We have to get inside!" Tessa yelled at Adette. The Brunette responded by blinking and turning her head toward the door. Tessa rubbed Adette's back out of encouragement, trying to get Adette to come back to awareness. "That's right, come on."

Her feet moved stiffly, but Adette followed Tessa's lead into the access room. When she got them into the room, Tessa slammed the metal door and latched it.

"What's wrong with her?" Xu asked as she pointed at Adette. Rinoa and Zell had climbed down to the access room and were standing by the ladder.

"I think she's in shock, too," Tessa yelled over the racket outside the Gate, "but I'm more worried about Phelan. He needs medical attention."

"We can take him to my dad's house," Rinoa said as she raised her hand. "There's a path there through the sewers."

"Great idea," Xu said. "Do you think he'll take us in?"

"Bad idea," Tessa said, stepping in front of Xu. "We don't know if any of those… _people…_ are in the sewers, and Phelan can't go into a sewer in his condition. Do you know what kind of diseases we would be exposing him to?"

"What do you suggest?" Zell gasped as he wiped his brow. He rubbed his bitten arm, which Tessa noticed had grown inflamed. "We wait here and get eaten alive?"

"No," Tessa said as she stepped back and wrapped an arm around Adette's shoulders. "We go, but someone stays behind to take care of Phelan."

"What about her?" Xu asked as she pointed at Adette. Tessa protectively pulled Adette close, unsure of why she cared so much. "Does she stay?"

"No," Tessa said. "I'll take care of her. She can walk, even if she doesn't react."

"Why should you go?" Rinoa raised her hand and walked over to Tessa. She peered into the redhead's eyes, trying to read her expressions. "Why can't you stay here and take care of Phelan? Xu told me that you're the one that cut his arm and leg off to begin with."

"Well, I'm not the one that dropped the gate on the guy," Tessa countered. "Besides, there's nothing more I can do for him, but I can still do some stuff for the group in the sewers."

"Didn't you say we shouldn't even go in the sewers because of those… those _Rots_ out there?" Zell asked as he wiped his sweaty brow again.

"Listen," Tessa said as she pocketed the gun she had taken from Adette, "things are tough, but we can get through it."

"What are you talking about?" Rinoa yelled as she grabbed her head and backed away from Tessa. The pressure was already beginning to get to her, and she wasn't handling it like Tessa had expected. "You're just as clueless as the rest of us!"

"No, I'm not," admitted Tessa. She dropped her arm from around Adette and walked the perimeter of the small room. "I shouldn't say, but I think I have to."

"Say what?" Rinoa screamed at the top of her voice. "How can you be so calm? We're about to die!"

"I've fought them before, the Rots," Tessa said, borrowing Zell's description of the cannibals filling the streets. The room fell silent as the three seasoned fighters gaped at the SeeD candidate. Tessa lowered her head and continued walking.

"You've… fought them… before?" Zell said in disbelief as he scratched his arm, causing fresh blood to drip onto the floor. "Where? How?"

"Back at Balamb Garden," Tessa confessed to the other three, who looked at her as though were crazy. "It was my first week after transferring."

"I don't believe you," Rinoa said as she grabbed Tessa and jerked the redhead so that they would be face to face. "Cid would have said something if that were true."

Tessa pried herself free of Rinoa's grip and stepped back, bumping into a speechless Xu. "It's true, I swear. The Headmaster didn't want people to know. He even had the bodies burned before they could be examined."

"Why?" Xu finally spoke up. "Why would he do something like that?"

"He didn't want panic to spread? I don't know why, but that's the truth," Tessa yelled over the Rots clamouring outside, still trying to get to the meat inside. "Rinoa, you've fought them, too. Tell them."

"No I didn't!" Rinoa said incredulously. "I've never fought a… What did you call them, Zell?"

"Rots," Zell said as he continued to scratch the bite. "I called them Rots, because they're literally rotting."

_Duh_, Tessa thought as she closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. _He's clearly not a clever man. But, then again, there aren't any anyway._

"Right," Rinoa said with a nod at Zell. "I know you're a liar now, I've never fought a Rot."

"Then what would you call those men on the train?" Tessa asked. "They were eating other people, and didn't seem to feel any pain. The same with the woman A… I shot."

"You're right," Rinoa said as she stepped back, teetering on the edge of the hole that led to the sewers. She looked at Tessa in confusion. "I did fight one before. How did you know, though?"

"She told me something," Xu said. "She said that the woman on the train had an infected wound on her shoulder, a bite."

The three women looked at Zell, who looked down at his arm and saw where he had scratched it raw. He backed up against the wall and his face went pale. "I'm not… I mean…"

"It was a theory," Tessa jumped in, trying to keep everyone calm. "I had nothing more than speculation behind it, don't worry. Now let's get out of here and see if we can find Phelan some help. He's not looking too good."

True to Tessa's word, Phelan was sweating, trembling, and making incoherent utterances. Xu walked over to him and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. She looked at the rest of the group, her eyes narrowed. "I'll stay with him, you guys go."

"No!" Tessa yelled, nervous at the prospect of leaving Phelan with someone that she didn't trust. She hadn't uncovered the connection between Xu and the three attackers in Timber.

"Wasn't it your idea for someone to stay with Phelan?" Xu asked with inflamed nostrils. "Well, I'm in charge of this operation, so I should stay with him. You guys go get help."

Regretfully, Tessa reached into the jacket pocket and pulled out Adette's handgun. She held it out for Xu, who took it with confusion. Seeing that she about to ask why, Tessa quickly explained the rationale for her decision. "We have another gun on Adette, and two of our people are trained in hand-to-hand. You'll need it more than we will."

Xu waved Tessa away, and the redhead grabbed Adette's hand. She looked down the ladder, the darkness horribly inviting and waiting to envelop its victims.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

A/N: Anyone else not trust Xu, or is it just Tessa being paranoid? And what becomes of Phelan? Unfortunately, you don't find out in this chapter! (Bwaa ha ha!) However, old favourites and OCs begin to crack under the pressure of trying to escape the Rots.

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Tessa felt the sewer's dampness long before she splashed into the dirty water. She was the last down the ladder, where Zell, Rinoa, and the mentally absent Adette waited. When she did finally climb off the ladder, Tessa felt the water submerge her to the knees. Almost immediately, a small flame appeared in her hand, illuminating the faces of her exhausted comrades.

"Which way?" she asked as she looked down the tunnel. Both paths faded into cold darkness. Tessa reached out with her free hand, and wrapped it around Adette's limp wrist. She thought of how hard it had been to get Adette into the sewer, and how it finally came to Zell carrying her down the ladder himself.

"Left, I think," Zell said nervously as he scratched his arm. It's been awhile since I've been down here, though."

"Left it is, then," Rinoa said as she raised her right hand. In it was a gun, Adette's second. Rinoa pointed it toward the unrevealing darkness and pretended to shoot. "I wish I had my regular weapon, I'm not good with guns."

"Flare," Zell explained when a flame, slightly larger and infinitely bigger than Tessa's, appeared in his right hand. It lit the whole of the tunnel, so Tessa irritably closed her hand, extinguishing her Fire spell. She didn't like to be shown up by a man, especially where magic was concerned.

They walked for about ten minutes, with the only sounds being the splash of water as the group waded through the sewer water and the occasional cough from Zell. Then, suddenly, they heard more rapid splashing and yelling.

Two men spilled into the lit tunnel from an access pipe in the side of the wall, wide-eyed and covered in blood. One was short and heavy with a beefy moustache, and the other old and skinny with long grey hair. Both were drenched in blood. Tessa could tell Zell and Rinoa thought the men's mutterings were signs of madness, but she new better.

"_Gotabo_," Tessa said as she stepped in front of Zell, dragging Adette with her, and stood in view of the men. "_Lashel im eed?_"

"_Lodeel imes zutu!_" the old man yelled. "_Lodeel imes zutu!_"

"What is he saying?" Rinoa asked Tessa. "What did you say?"

"_Une dijue,_" Tessa said to the old man. She turned Rinoa and Zell with a worried look. "It's Junonian, my native tongue. He said that they're coming."

"Who's coming?" Zell asked as wiped his forehead with his sore arm, which had begun to turn black. He was sweating profusely and his voice growing hoarse. "Ask him who's coming."

"_Quis im zutu?_" Tessa asked the two men, who were on the verge of hysteria.

"_Al copres imes zutu!_" screamed the heavy men. They ran past Tessa in the direction of the Gate, scared out of their minds.

"He said that the corpses are coming," Tessa translated, her pale face growing whiter in the light of Zell's Flare spell. "I think he means the Rots."

"Then why are we standing here?" Rinoa screamed at the top of her voice. She took off running wildly, green water flying around in a mist.

"Hold on!" Tessa yelled as Zell and she took chase. Adette was holding her back and Zell soon passed, running much faster. Tessa's legs filled with fatigue and she stopped running, which caused Adette to crash into her. Both teenagers fell over, crashing into the water. Tessa let go of Adette and pushed off of the grimy sever bottom.

She resurfaced and gasped, filling her lungs with the fetid air of the sewer. She looked around, but the light of Zell's spell was disappearing and she couldn't see Adette. "Adette!" she screamed as she splashed around, searching for the girl she had claimed she would protect. "Adette!"

The sounds that began to fill the tunnel were ones that ran shivers up Tessa's spine, ones that she had heard far too often. They were the groans of the Rots. She felt around the bottom of the sewer until her fingers touched warm flesh. Tessa drew Adette out of the water and slung the Brunette's arms over her shoulders.

"Come on," she muttered as she tried to ignite a Fire spell, but her hand was too wet and it only fizzled. By this time Zell and his Flare were gone, leaving Tessa alone in the dark with no way to defend herself from the decaying army approaching. "Work with me."

Giving up on the spell, she drug Adette in the direction she had seen Zell going. She couldn't see anything because there were no lights in the sewer, so she didn't see the Creeps when it slipped up and attacked her. Tessa hit a wall, but wouldn't let go of Adette. The Creeps climbed up and started scratching her, cutting her face open. Biting her lip to keep the tears back, she kicked out and felt her foot connect with something thin, like a sheet, yet solid.

She wanted to yell for help, but was afraid that doing so might attract the unwanted attention of the Rots. The Creeps slashed again and hit Tessa's left arm, causing her to lose her grip on Adette. As she slid again into the water, Tessa grabbed her hair and held her above the water. With her free hand, she punched out but hit only air.

Deciding the risk was worth it, Tessa screamed out, "Help," but received no response. The Creeps clawed her again and blood spill into her eye from a cut above her forehead. The groans of the Rots grew closer and the Creeps kept scratching. Tessa didn't know what to. She couldn't use Fire because she was too wet, couldn't use Thunder for the same reason, and the only other spells she had were Scan and Blind, neither of which would help.

The Creeps clawed her face again, and Tessa screamed out in pain as a piece of her nose flew off. Blood poured down her face, and she tasted the warm, salty liquid. Then, out of nowhere, a bright flash hit the Creeps, lighting it up. It seemed paralysed, so Tessa took the opportunity to pick Adette up, tears running due to the pain.

"Are you okay?" a man's voice rang out. "Did they get you?"

"What?" Tessa yelled back. She knew that the Rots had heard her and were on their way to finding her.

"I asked if those things got you. You know, the cannibals," the man called out again. A moment later, she felt a hand on her arm and a pair of eyes came into view. "Were you bitten?"

"No," Tessa said. She looked back at Adette and then to the stranger. She couldn't see much from the dim lighting of the Creeps, but she made out the shape of his eyes. They were almond-shaped, but his pupils, even in the darkness, were nothing more than thin slits. She was instantly reminded of a cat. Then she remembered Adette and pulled her into view. "Neither was she."

"Good," the man said, his eyes moving up and down in the darkness. "Come with me, there's an exit near here. It leads to a small collection of survivors."

"Survivors?" Tessa whispered as the man walked to Adette's other side and helped Tessa carry her. "What do you mean survivors?"

"A lot of the population of Galbadia City is wandering around eating each other. The ones that aren't are the survivors," he said. His voice was deep and gravely, reminding Tessa of a rock singer. "I just hope we can get there in time."

"What do you mean?" asked Tessa as they started moving. She couldn't see anything and was relying on the man's sense of direction to get around. He led her down a series of twists and turns, wandering further and further away from where Zell and Rinoa had gone.

After a long time, the man spoke again. "There are two main collections of survivors left in the city: the Presidential Residence and Caraway's Mansion. We're going to the Presidential Residence. There are about ten other people there, but none of them are armed or able to use magic. I came down in the sewers in search of some weapons. Instead, I found you two."

"How can you see?" Tessa asked. However, the man came to an abrupt stop instead of answering.

"We're there," he said. "We just have to climb this ladder and hope that none of the cannibals are up there."

"We call them Rots," Tessa said dumbly. To cover her embarrassment, she shifted some of Adette's weight. "How do we get her up there?"

"Simple," the man said. "One of us will climb up and lift the manhole cover, and the other will stay down here and try to hand her up."

"You go up," Tessa said, not wanting this strange man to think she was weak. "I'll stay down here."

"Fine," he said. Tessa felt Adette suddenly get heavier and seconds later the scraping of rust. After a few moments, she heard the sound of metal on pavement and called up.

"How is it?"

"Looks clear," he called, his voice calm. "Hand her up."

Tessa was nervous as she wrapped one hand around Adette's waste and used the other to feel for a ladder. When she finally felt it, she heard the groans again. She stepped on the ladder and tried to lift Adette, but found her too heavy.

"I can't do it!" Tessa yelled up to the man. "She's nothing but dead weight!"

"Hold on!" he yelled back. A couple of seconds later she was hit in the face with something long and slightly rounded: a rope. "Tie it around her, and I'll try lifting her up. You'll have to push, though!"

Tessa, working in complete darkness, tied the rope as tightly as she could around Adette. The groans were louder and much closer, echoing in the tunnel. "We're good, try lifting her!"

She reached under the water and grabbed Adette's shoes. She lifted and heard the grunts of the man as he did the same. Her nose was burning was she didn't want the man to think she was even more worthless than she already felt. She hated him for making her feel like that. _Stupid man,_ she thought.

After lifting Adette about ten decimetres off the ground, Tessa started to climb the ladder. With one hand on a grimy rung and the other guiding Adette, they slowly made their way up. Adette was finally at the manhole and Tessa had to climb back down a few rungs to help push her through when the Rots finally arrived. Tessa felt the ladder shake slightly as they grabbed at it, trying to reach her. The hand on a rather tall one landed on her boot and she couldn't shake it loose, its grip was so strong. She kicked the hand until it detached from the arm and fell off on its own accord.

She saw a bit of light in a circular pattern in the ceiling, meaning Adette had been pulled through the manhole. Tessa Quickly climbed up and took the outstretched hand offered to her. "Thanks," she said when she felt her feet on solid, dry land.

"Let's go," the man said. Tessa finally saw what he looked like under the moonlight: his grey hair was cut short and he looked to be about forty. To Tessa, he might as well have been a hundred years old, though. His face was wrinkled with concern as he looked about. "It's only a building away."

He pulled out a pair of keys and unlocked the side door of a brick building. He led Tessa, who again carried Adette by sticking her shoulder under the unconscious woman's arm, into the building and locked the door behind them.

She couldn't see much, but the man took her hand and led Tessa up a flight of stairs. They came to the second story with a large, broken-out window. On the edge of the window was a ladder that stretched across to a much larger building with fake clowns on the roof.

"That," he said with a gesture to the building, "is Paradise."


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty:

A/N: How does Tessa take to being rescued? Just how you would expect her to: with absolutely no gratitude! This chapter is to show more about her unwillingness to depend on others than anything else, although there is some action.

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Tessa carefully crawled across the ladder, incredibly mindful of the five-metre drop below into the waiting mouths of the decaying cannibals. Her legs were numb from exhaustion, but she continued her shuffle.

Adette and the middle-aged man were waiting at the other end of the ladder. They had gotten Adette across by using the rope to drag her across. It wasn't the most elegant of methods, but they had managed to get her onto the cement roof of the Residence. Amazingly, though, the banging of her head on the ladder's steps didn't wake her up.

"Come on," the man called out, the sound of his voice exciting the Rots below. "You can do it!"

_What is he saying?_ Tessa asked herself. _Is he calling me like I'm a dog? The idiot probably thinks of me like a dog. All women are dogs to him. I'll kick his ass if he keeps treating me like that._

The ladder swayed under her weight and she grabbed it to keep from falling, but it didn't do any good. It slipped behind her, falling out of the window of the first building. The man's eyes grew wide and he grabbed for Tessa, but he was too slow and she was too far away.

It scraped between the two buildings, sending sparks into the air. Tessa screamed as she plummeted toward what she believed was death, but the ladder caught on a small ledge of the Residence and crashed into the first story window of the other building. It was suspended in the air at head-level with the Rots, who began reaching up and grabbing at Tessa.

She let go of the ladder and pushed away the hands, but there were too many. One grabbed a hold of her leg and tried to pull her off, but she grabbed the ladder again and kicked the hand, breaking the fingers off. She lifted her left hand and small black jets of ink hit the Rots in the eyes, blinding them. However, it had no effect since they already knew she was there.

"Are you okay?" the man yelled down to Tessa as he peered over the edge of the building.

She didn't answer as she punched a Rot in the face, knocking it back a couple of centimetres. Knowing she was going to die, she slapped the bird-shaped pin on Adette's jacket out of desperation.

The pin glowed in the night, almost like a beacon. It did nothing to scare away the Rots, though. They kept grabbing at Tessa, who continued to punch and kick, desperate to stay alive. She screamed and thrust her right hand into a female Rot's face, burning away large sections of her flesh, revealing bone. The Rot was unaffected, though, as it bit at her hand.

Suddenly the Rots and Tessa were overwhelmed with light and Phoenix was gliding over them. It flapped its wings and blew away several Rots, then spread them and rained fire on several others. Tessa, however, still had to defend herself as her GF fought.

"Grab this!" the man yelled as he threw a rope over the side of the building. It was the same one that they had used to lift Adette out of the sewer, and it swung inches away from her outstretched fingers. Tessa remembered how Rinoa had talked about stunning Johnny, one of the Rots on the train, with a Thundara spell. She hoped the same applied to basic Thunder spells.

Tessa grabbed the ladder with her left hand and waved her right about, hitting Rots with Thunder spells. Momentarily, they stopped moving, but, within seconds, they were grabbing at her again. She used her left hand to drag herself closer to the rope, and then reached out and grabbed it. The rough fibres weren't stable in her sweaty palms, but she went ahead and jerked to show she had it. After letting off a final volley of Thunder spells, she grabbed the rope with her right hand and jerked again to let him know she was ready.

She stood up and kicked at a few heads before being lifted off the ladder. She placed her feet against the concrete of the Residence and tried to walk up the side of building to make it easier for the man lifting her, but his grunts showed he was still having problems.

After a few seconds, a window loomed just over her head. She reached out with her left hand and grabbed the sill, still tightly holding the rope with her right. When she became level with the window, Tessa grabbed at the paneling and pulled herself onto the narrow bit of concrete that was the ledge. She let go of the rope and grabbed the paneling with her right hand.

"Oh my god!" Tessa heard the man scream, and she pictured him looking over the edge to see if she had fallen.

"I'm okay!" Tessa yelled up at him. "There's a window here."

"See if you can get in!" the man yelled back. "I'll meet you there."

"Wait!" Tessa shouted. "Tell me, are the windows reinforced?"

"I don't know," he responded. "Why?"

"Just get down here," she told him. He yelled down that he would, and she pictured him turning away from the of the roof and running to a staircase leading into the building.

_Come on, Tessa,_ she thought. _You don't need this man to save you: you can do it yourself._

Tessa let go with her right hand and pulled it back as far as she could without losing her precarious balance. She balled her hand into a fist, and summoned what strength she had left. Her hand wailed through the air and slammed into the glass, shattering it and cutting her hand. She had a bizarre sense of familiarity as she reached the rest of the way through the window and grabbed onto the interior of the pane.

_Just a little more,_ she told herself as she moved her right hand around the window until she felt the lock. She flipped it and got as tight a grip on the window as she could. She lifted her left foot and smashed the bottom half of the window with her booted. The glass crunched as she kicked it out. She shifted her left hand down and grabbed the pane, feeling small bits of glass bite into the palm of her hand. _You've got it!_

Tessa drew her right hand out of the window and bent over. She reached in through the bottom and raised the window a couple of centimetres before her boots lost their traction and she fell slipped.

She dangled out of the window, her boots scraping against the concrete wall and she struggled to get her footing. Her fingers were still latched onto the window, but they were wracked with the pain of glass in the joints.

Two hands wrapped around her left forearm and pulled. Tessa got her footing and pushed herself up as she was pulled, and, soon, she was back on the windowsill.

The grey-haired man lifted the window open and helped Tessa through. She jerked her arm out of his grip and stumbled, pitching forward and falling onto the floor. Her head struck the side, but not the corner, of a table. She was unconscious before her head crashed onto the rich carpet below.


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One:

A/N: Tessa encounters other survivors! Also, the significance of the red eyes comes out. Oh, yeah, R&R!

**Chocobo Nuchaku:** Zell as a zombie... Well, you will have to read to find out!

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Tessa awoke in a dark room, sprawled across the floor. She was wrapped in a long curtain made of silk, which didn't rub her wounds raw as she sat up.

Her lungs ached for air, but her ribs hurt as she breathed deeply. It felt like every muscle in her body was on fire: she could barely move. Still, she stood up and blindly felt around the room. She caught her feet on the curtain and pitched forward, hitting the floor face first.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled as she rubbed her nose and kicked herself free of the curtain. Tessa stood up again and felt around the room, yelling, "Hello!"

She finally felt a door, reached for the knob, gripped it, and tried to turn it, but the door was locked. Tessa leaned down and felt for a keyhole. When she found it, she placed her right hand over it and sent a Thunder spell into it.

The knob clicked, signifying that she had succeeded in unlocking it. She stood up and twisted the knob, the hinges squeaking as the door slowly opened. She held out her left hand, a Fire spell lighting the dark hallway.

Turning back and looking into the room, she saw a large portrait of a woman with black hair, lips painted purple, and a slim yet flowing black dress. The dress had a cut that stretched nearly down to her navel and clung to her breasts. On her back, whether it was part of the dress or the background of the painting itself, was a structure with lucid, white fabric flowing off of two golden wing-like objects. Tessa was struck speechless by the beauty and power the image of the woman gave off. She was sure that the woman had been a great figure in Galbadia, in control of her femininity and also of herself.

"She's awake! She's out!" a man yelled. Tessa turned quickly and had a light shine in her face, blinding her. She thrust her hands up to block the light, extinguishing her Fire spell. "She's one of them! Get her!"

"One of what?" Tessa asked before a long piece of wood struck her in the side of the head, knocking her down. She grabbed the side of her head and gritted her teeth against the pain. "That hurt, you stupid bastard!"

"Wait," another voice, a low yet soft one, said. It was immediately recognized as female, but it didn't have the same Galbadian accent as Rinoa's. "She spoke, she's not one of them. She's one of us."

"Sorry," another man, with a familiar voice, said. Tessa pressed her left hand to her head and moaned.

"She's one of them!" the first man shouted. "Didn't you see her eyes? She has their eyes!"

"But they can't speak," the woman repeated. "She's not one of them."

"Ow," Tessa said again as she stood up, her legs wobbly. She opened her eyes and held out her right hand, another blaze appearing in it. "Which one of you stupid sons of bitches hit me?"

There were three people standing around her, their faces awash in the light of Tessa's Fire spell. The first was a blonde man who looked only a few years older than she; the second was the same grey-haired, middle-aged man that had saved her in the sewers; and the woman an elderly one, with white hair and a cane clasped in her right hand.

"It was Macone," the old woman said. "The young idiot hit you."

"But, her eyes…" the blonde man said. Tessa guessed that he was the Macone the old woman had spoken about. She dropped her left hand from her head and waited for her vision to clear.

"Did you hit me?" she asked the blonde man. "Are you Macone?"

"Umm…" he said weakly. "Yes, but it was just…"

Tessa didn't give him the opportunity to finish his sentence, though. Her left fist met with his mouth and he stumbled backward, falling onto his butt. Despite her obvious pain, she managed to glare at him. "Don't ever touch me again, or I'll kill you."

The old woman began laughing, and the grey-haired man joined her. Her face crinkled and a smile was plastered across her wizened, dark-skinned face. "I've wanted to do that ever since I met the little louse, but the bones are too weak."

"What about her eyes?" Macone whined as he held his bloody mouth. "She has freaky red eyes, like those things."

"What?" Tessa gasped. She stepped away from the group and touched the soft flesh under her eye. All the months of hiding it from her new classmates, the constant changing of contacts when no one was in the bathroom, and the years of embarrassment she had received for them at Lotia Garden, none of it mattered. Her secret was finally out.

_When did I lose them?_ Tessa wondered of her contacts. _Was it in the sewers? Did one of these people take them out_?

"Are you okay?" the old woman asked. "My name's Liana, and this," she gestured to the grey-haired man, "this is Holt."

"You're pretty tough," Holt said as he offered Tessa a handshake.

Tessa looked at it, horrified. She still couldn't get past the revelation that the people before her had discovered her eyes.

"You're telling me," Macone said as he stood up, rubbing his jaw. "I still think she's turning, though. Normal people don't have those eyes."

"And what would you know about normal?" the old woman said as she turned to Macone. "You're a lawyer, you don't have a normal bone in your body. Now shut up before I beat you with this cane."

"You shut up, old woman," Macone spat. "I don't have to take any crap from one your kind."

"Shut up, Mac," Holt warned. "You're stupidity knows no bounds, does it?"

"You're the stupid one," Macone responded. "You went into the sewers and brought back two girls, one out of her mind and the other losing what little they have left."

"What did you mean?" Tessa asked Macone as she lowered her hand from her face. It curled into a fist at her side as she regained her senses. "What is her 'kind'?"

"Excuse me?" Macone asked angrily.

"What is this old woman's 'kind'?" Tessa screamed at him hysterically. "Tell me you stupid bastard, before I kick your ass again!"

"I'd like to see you try," Macone said with a laugh. He turned around and walked away as Holt held her back.

"The stupid prick isn't worth it," Liana said. "Just leave him be."

"Where's Adette?" Tessa asked Holt. "Where is she?"

"I put her in a bedroom. Mac wanted us to get rid of her too, but I checked her for bites and she didn't have any. You two were lucky."

"We're not lucky," Tessa said as she checked her emotions. "We're trained to deal with this kind of stuff. We're SeeD candidates."

"SeeD?" Liana asked, her voice filled with confusion. "What's SeeD?"

"Specialized Elite and Economic Desirables for hire," Holt said sadly. When Tessa made a confused noise, he clarified, "I had a son whom attended Galbadia Garden."

"Had? Did he die during the takeover last year?" Tessa asked insensitively.

"No," Holt said as tears formed in his eyes. "He's one of them now: my wife, too. I don't know about my daughter, though. She was working in the hotel when my house was attacked. I can only hope she's safe."

"She's probably dead," Tessa said as she limped past a shocked Holt and Liana. They obviously hadn't expected Tessa to be so blunt. "Don't dwell on it, just grieve. Eventually, you'll get over it."

"You're colder than Macone," Liana said in a whisper.

"She's right, though," Holt said. "My son was the same way when he came back from Garden. They're trained to be cold, methodical, and logical. We need someone like her."

"Where's Adette?" Tessa asked as she tried to shake off thoughts of Holt's son. "I need to see my squad member."

"You already asked that," Liana said with a wheeze. "She's resting."

"I want to know where, obviously. You people never told me, and I don't trust you."

"I'll take you there," Holt said with a scrutinizing gaze at Tessa. "Your friend is lucky you care."

"She's not my friend," Tessa said with a laugh. "I don't even like her."


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two:

A/N: I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Tessa is a Grade-A Bitch and proud of it! Sorry about the short chapters, though: serious writer's block. There's some Seifer-related stuff here, which (might) come into play later in this fic. R&R!

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After making sure Adette was okay, Tessa was led down a long hallway by Liana. Tessa thought that the Residence was more like a palace than a mansion, with its elaborate colourings and lush carpeting that felt like soft moss underneath her sore feet.

All along the walls were oil paintings, portraits, of various men in old-style dress. Tessa was disgusted by the lack of women being prominently displayed and constantly mentioned it to the old woman.

"Shut up!" Liana said harshly as she stopped outside a door made of a dark wood Tessa had never seen before. "You'll be staying here."

Liana turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing an ornate office. It was rather obnoxiously decorated, with a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling with candles as opposed to electric lights. In the middle of the room was a desk made of the same wood as the door, and on it sat a small kerosene lamp, which was lit.

The lamp cast long shadows on the walls and half-illuminated a painting on the wall. Tessa moved over to it and stared.

The painting was a portrait of a tall, blonde man. On his hands were black gloves and he was wearing a long, tan jacket that fell below his knees. In his right hand was a gunblade, which dripped crimson blood from its black blade.

The man was standing in front of large structure, almost like a dilapidated temple. On his face was a small grin, almost a smirk. Tessa tilted her head, trying to identify the dark mass beside him. It was hidden in shadows and she had to ignite another fire spell and raise it up to the portrait to see that it was a decapitated Thrustaevus.

The winged beast was larger than the man, and it greatly resembled a bat with its folded, leathery wings. Its skin was a combination of dark and light shades of violet, in addition to the occasional hint of yellow. The wings, much like a bat's, sported small fingers at the tips and one of the wings appeared to have been slashed by the man's gunblade.

Tessa lowered her hand and the flame flickered out. Her eyes were concentrated on a small, barely visible pink line on the man's pale face. The line ran between his eyes and resembled a scar she had seen before, but couldn't place. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel she knew the man in the portrait.

"Seifer Almasy," Liana said from beside Tessa. The younger girl had been so wrapped up in the painting that she hadn't heard the older one sidle up beside her. "He was the dictator of Galbadia after the Sorceress vanished. However, he was quickly ousted after the Sorceress War ended."

Tessa said nothing as she listened to the old woman reminisce about the past. In fact, she couldn't hear the words Liana spoke because she was trapped in another memory.

_Her first day at Balamb Garden; she was excited, even if a little apprehensive. It was a fresh start, a clean break from the ghosts of her old life. She stood outside a small security shack, trying to rouse the security guard within. He was wearing a long, tan jacket and when he looked up…_

"…Actually, it was the new Prime Minister, the former General Caraway, who changed the name from Deling City to Galbadia City. He said that it would bring a new era of national pride. It's just such a shame his daughter took off like she did. The poor man always deserved better than he got in life," Liana droned on.

"Get out," Tessa said, a hint of terror in her voice. "Get out now."

"Why?" Liana asked, upset over being interrupted.

"I said get out!" Tessa shouted. Liana gave a disapproving grunt and shuffled out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Tessa sank to the soft floor and cradled her head in her hands, her brain wracked with confusion. _Wasn't Seifer the Head of Security back at Garden?_ she asked herself. _What is going on? I thought that Galbadia and Garden didn't get along._

She stood up and tried to keep her balance on her unsteady feet. There was a large bay window, which overlooked the city below, behind the desk. Tessa stumbled to it and looked into the streets, which were suddenly swarming with Rots. The streetlights were on, and Tessa guessed that they operated on solar power since the rest of the city was plunged in darkness.

Rots swarmed the building, mulling about in docile states. They didn't seem to know that there were people in the Residence, but it didn't make Tessa feel better. She wrung her hands, the frayed fabric of her fighting gloves rubbing the sides of her hands raw.

"It should be raining," she said muttered. Whenever she saw a movie, the scenes where the lead came to a major realization always involved rain. On the other side of the window, however, there wasn't a speck of moisture. Tessa then sniffed, realizing just how badly she stank. The sewer clearly did not agree with the young woman.

Her eyes scanned the darkened horizon of the city again, and pinks streaks were beginning to cross the sky, breaking apart the darkness. Dawn had finally come, a new day to try and survive the end of her world. The end of _the_ world.

Tessa pressed her hand against the glass and hung her head. She began to wonder if what was happening was an isolated occurrence, happening only in Galbadia City, or if it slowing taking over the world. Was Balamb Garden safe? Lotia Garden? And what had become of Zell and Rinoa, Xu and Phelan? The questions running through Tessa's head began to overwhelm her, but she did what she was best at: she dealt with them head on.

As far as she knew, Rots were overrunning the rest of the world, and her comrades were long dead. She turned away from the window, the lamp on the desk bathing her face in wispy shadows. Tessa sighed, a habit that was becoming far too prevalent, and walked back to Adette's room; it had a bathroom, and she felt an overwhelming need to clean herself.

In the wake of the closing door, the flame of the lamp wavered but didn't go out. Yet it was another light, one Tessa hadn't noticed, that did go out. Across the city, there stood the mansion of the Galbadian Prime Minister, the former General Caraway. Inside, several men and a few women rushed about, believing that they were the only survivors of the holocaust that had fallen upon the Galbadian Capital…


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three:

A/N: This another chapter that features a FFVII character, only in a pivotal role. I swear, this thing could go on forever. Meh, in the later chapters you find out what happens to Zell and Rinoa, and Tessa gets a possible love interest (or two...)

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Towel-drying her hair, she stepped out of the bathroom into Adette's room. There was a closet across the room from the foot of the bed full of clothes that she could wear. Tessa threw her towel onto the pile of clothes that still reeked of sewer before kicking it under the bed. Never before had she hoped that out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality would work in her favour.

She opened the closet, which had a full-length mirror on the sliding door, and found that it was a walk-in. Tessa stepped inside and felt the clothes. Even though she couldn't see them, she knew that they were all silk dresses, not a pair of blue jean pants in sight. Grumbling, she pulled a dress off the rack and tossed it onto the bed.

Another flame appeared in her hand. How many Fire spells she had left was no longer a concern of Tessa's, she just wanted to know what she would be wearing for the time being.

The dress was indeed silk, a slinky black number. She extinguished the fire and picked up the dress, moving over to the window. She dressed by the streetlights, barely able to see what she was doing.

When she finished, Tessa felt as out of place as a Jelly-Eye in Fire Cavern. She could feel the air on her cleavage, since there was a large V-shaped slit in the front that led down to just above her navel. There hadn't been a pair of boots in the closet, and she didn't want to put hers on until they had aired out, so she slipped on a pair of high heels. Certain her feet were going to snap in half if she took even one wrong step, Tessa wobbled to the door, trying to keep from tripping over the long hem of the skirt, which fell all around her feet and had a train of several feet.

She didn't have her gloves on, but Tessa couldn't feel the metal of the doorknob as she turned it. It had escaped her attention as she dressed, but the sleeves of the dress, although they were a few inches too long, had what seemed to be gloves sewn onto the ends. They were like pantyhose for her arms and hands.

Her trip down the hall was marred by more than one tumble, until she began using the wall beside her as support. Her silk-covered hands hit the pictures and she felt the oil rub off on them, but she didn't much care.

Eventually she reached a set of stairs and her hand grabbed for a railing. Her sweaty palms easily consumed the slick wood as she pulled herself along the floor and to the top of the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, a small group of people gathered around a flashlight, heavily immersed in conversation. Tessa immediately recognized Liana and Holt, but she didn't see Macone in the gathering.

"I think we can use her," Tessa heard Holt say. "She fought off those things, and even beat the crap out of Macone."

"All she did was punch him," Liana countered. "Besides, didn't you have to save her down in the sewers? She may be an asset, but we shouldn't blow it out of proportion."

Another woman, someone Tessa hadn't yet met, spoke up. "How do we know she'll agree?"

"Agree to what?" Tessa inquired as she made her way down the stairs. Her voice was filled with anger. She wondered just what they had been planning to have her do, or do to her. "What do you freaks want me to do? I'm not some dog you can order around. Now come on, out with it."

The handful of people stared at Tessa as she slowly made her way down the stairs. It was a large staircase, so halfway down Tessa made a loud grunting noise and raised her skirt. She took off one shoe and threw it over the railing, where it clattered on the floor. Before the first shoe had even finished echoing, the second was over the railing and on its way to the floor as well.

"I said, 'What are you stupid bitches plotting'?" Tessa screamed at the silent figures below. "I want to know now!"

Everyone stared at Tessa in shock, and she had no idea why. It couldn't have been the dress, because, as she passed a mirror, Tessa noticed how ill fitting the dress was. It didn't compliment her body at all.

"What are you wearing?" Holt asked in a whisper that Tessa could barely hear. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped further with every stop Tessa made.

"What does it matter?" Tessa asked defensively. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"You're wearing the Sorceress's dress," Liana said. Her ancient face seemed to wrinkle even more out of worry.

"Big fucking deal," Tessa retorted, unaware of just how big a deal it was to the Galbadians below. "Now what the hell were you people wanting me to do?"

The other woman, the one Tessa hadn't yet met, spoke up. "We were wondering if you could help us."

"How the hell should I know if you don't fucking tell me what to do?" Tessa asked angrily and irritably. "I swear you people are so goddamn stupid! It's no wonder you let those things take over."

"We couldn't fight back," Holt said sadly. "The military is still in Midgar, and our local police force is dead. There was nothing we could do. The only other survivors we know about are at General Caraway's mansion, but we don't think they know about us."

"You're still not telling me what you want me to do," Tessa said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Tessa used her teeth to tear a hole in the fabric that acted as a glove on her right hand. After she finished tearing it off, the redhead lit another small Fire spell and burned off the fabric around her left hand without burning herself.

"How did you do that?" the still unnamed woman asked Tessa. "I mean, the fire and all."

"I learned how to specify where my magic goes," Tessa bragged. For the first time in a long time, a smile crept onto her lips. "They taught me how to do that back at Garden."

"You're from Balamb Garden?" Holt asked with wide eyes. "But your accent is so…"

"Junonian?" Tessa answered, completing his sentence. "What does it matter? I'm here, aren't I? Now tell me your fucking plan already. You're starting to piss me off again!"

"We want to try the sewers again, see if we can get out of here," Holt said. "If we stay here any longer, those things will get in and kill us all."

"Look," Tessa said as though she were speaking to unruly children, "the sewers are unsafe. I almost died in them, and I'm a trained fighter. Besides, there're monsters in there, as well as Rots."

"Rots?" Liana asked.

"I thought I'd already explained this," Tessa said angrily, her angry face almost magnified by the flickering light in her right hand. "The Rots are the people outside. I'm pretty sure they're dead, but I'm not confident enough to stake my life on it."

"Too late for that," a voice said from behind Tessa. She turned around and saw Macone at the top of the stairs. He wore a smug grin on his face and clapped slightly as he walked down to the rest of the people. "We're dead anyway."

"Maybe not," Holt said angrily. He turned to Tessa and rubbed his left wrist. "I saw you Summon that giant bird earlier. Maybe we can ride on it."

"That won't work," the woman Tessa didn't know said. "You can't actually touch a Summoned monster."

"Who the hell are you?" Tessa asked the woman. "And you clearly don't know anything. The person a GF is junctioned to can touch the GF, but only that person. I could easily ride out of here, but I can't leave Adette behind."

"Who?" Macone asked.

"Her friend," Liana said as she stamped her cane on the marble floor. "The one in the bedroom."

"Shut up, I want to hear her, not you two," Tessa yelled. Then she rounded back on the other woman. "So, just who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Tifa Lockhart," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You know, fought Sephiroth and all?"

"Yeah right," Tessa said with a laugh. "And I'm to believe that why?"

"Because my friend Barret and I met here with a group of SeeDs. We fell under siege in a restaurant on the other side of town. I'm the only one that made it out," she said with a sniff. "Barret said that since Jessie was a SeeD…"

"Do you expect me to believe this?" Tessa said with a raised eyebrow. "You are not Tifa Lockhart, okay? And unless you can prove it, I won't believe it."

"I don't know why I care," the woman claiming to be Tifa said, "but if this isn't proof, I don't know what is."

She reached into a pocket and pulled out a yellow rock, a command Materia. It glowed brighter than any other that Tessa had seen in her life, even summoning Materia.

"What is that?" Liana asked out of bewilderment.

"It's a Master Materia," the woman explained. "With it I can use all of the command abilities, like Sense and Morph."

"You really…" Tessa said in astonishment as she stepped back, tripping over the bottommost step of the stairwell. "It just isn't possible!"

Tifa threw her hair back and laughed. "Little Miss tougher-than-thou finally sees the error of her ways?"

After a few seconds of incoherent muttering, Tessa stood up and puffed out her chest. "If you've had that all this time, why haven't you done anything to get out of here?"

"It's command Materia," Tifa said with a shrug. "What can you do with it?"


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four:

A/N: This chapter is rather important to the story, as it is the first one to actually have someone die! But I'm not telling who it is!

**Gullwing Yunie:** Yes indeed, what do they do? I'm not telling!

**Sorceress Eternity:** Red eyes, yes. Mako, maybe... As for the dress, that was more of a gag thing. In case you haven't noticed, dresses aren't Tessa's style of clothing.

**Chocobo Nunchaku:** Yes, Seifer does return in about ten chapters or so. (I've written well into the 50's. And yet I'm making you guys wait for updates. Aren'tI evil?)

**Rakunya:** Yeah, aside from Enemy Skill Materia, I never found any use for Command Materia. And I am looking forward to reading (and reviewing) your fics.

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"So, that's the Caraway Mansion," Tessa said later that morning. She was on the roof with Tifa and Holt, looking at the large mansion in the distance. Below, hundreds of Rots gathered around the building, seemingly unaware of the living people above them. _I was supposed to escort Rinoa Heartilly there._

Holt sat on the ledge, looking older in the sunlight than he had during the dark night before. "You know, we should probably try to signal to them that we're still alive. Every once in awhile I hear gunshots, which means they have weapons over there. Maybe they can save us."

"That won't work," Tessa aloud. "They're just as under siege as we are. But, maybe if we let them know we're alive, we can get rescued when the military returns."

"You think they're just going to pull out of Midgar?" Tifa said with a comical tone to her voice. She pulled the Materia out of her pocket again and turned it over in her hand. Suddenly, she became much more sober. "I mean, we came here to try to lure them out, and nothing ever really works out in my favour."

"Nothing works out for anyone," Tessa said as she turned away from the other two. "I mean, this was supposed to be my big shot, and I'm all that's left. Well, there is Adette, too."

"So, what are we going to do?" Holt asked the two young women. "Our food consists of what was in the gift shop, and that wasn't much. Add in that everyone had cabin fever…"

"Then get over it!" Tessa snapped as began stretching. Earlier, after the sun had risen, Tessa had gone on an exploratory trek through the Residence and found a large pile of Galbadian military uniforms. She had found one belonging to a private named Yang that fit her rather well. Quickly after that, the dress had found its way over the side of the roof and onto the face of a Rot. "Would they rather die?"

"Guys, you need to see this," Tifa said excitedly. Tessa looked over and saw that Tifa was leaning over the side of the roof with her yellow Materia out. "It's the Caraway Mansion. Something is going down."

Tessa sprinted to Tifa's side and squatted, trying to see just what was happening. However, all she saw was the building. "What is it?"

"Is the military back?" Holt asked hopefully. Tessa heard the sound of his shoes on the asphalt as he knelt on Tifa's other side. "Are we saved?"

"No, it's not that," Tifa answered. Her Materia lessened in brightness and she stood up. She looked at Tessa and sighed. "You said something about Rinoa Heartilly?"

"Yeah," Tessa said. "What about her?"

"She's over there now, is all."

Tessa brushed her read hair out of her eyes and pressed her left hand against her temple. A white light flashed and Tessa's pupils completely dilated. Her vision enhanced greatly, as though she were looking through a pair of binoculars and settled on a specific window of the Caraway Mansion.

She saw Rinoa standing in front of a man with black hair that was greyed at the temples. Rinoa looked exhausted and was holding up Zell, who looked ready to pass out. Zell's arm was completely black where he had been bitten, and the infection seemed to have spread throughout the rest of his body, which was covered in open sores and oozing. Tessa recognized the symptoms.

Rinoa, on the other hand, didn't seem to be suffering from any injuries. However, about a dozen armed men in Galbadian uniforms stepped within the view of the window.

"What are they doing?" Tessa heard Tifa say. "This makes no sense."

Tessa didn't respond, even when the men trained their firearms on Rinoa and Zell. The man with the greying hair stepped forward and lifted an antique revolver, aiming it at Rinoa.

"What's so interesting?" Holt asked, the only one not able to see what was going on. "Well?"

Neither Tessa nor Tifa told Holt just what was happening. In the Caraway Mansion the grey-haired man said something to Rinoa, thought Tessa didn't hear what. She saw Rinoa yell back at the man as he cocked his gun. Rinoa lifted her right hand; her left was supporting Zell, and aimed her own gun at the man. Why she still had it, Tessa didn't know.

"Guys?" Holt asked, still unsure of what was happening. "What is it?"

Screaming and trying to hold Zell up, Rinoa didn't see what Tessa did. One of the Galbadian men snuck up behind her and hit her in the back of the head. She dropped Zell and swayed for a few seconds before collapsing.

The grey-haired man walked over and pointed his gun at the floor. Milliseconds later Tessa heard the gunshot and jerked her head away. She closed and backed away from the edge of the roof, vomiting on the tarmac. Tears were openly rolling down her cheeks and vomit clung to her mouth by long strings of drool.

"Are you okay?" Holt asked squeamishly. A hand was tentatively placed on Tessa's shoulder.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and crawled away from her pool of vomit. Holt's hand fell off and hung limply in the air for a few seconds before he drew it up to his chest.

"I'm sorry," Tifa said. The crunch of shoes on the roof signalled that someone was walking, and Tifa bent down in front of Tessa. "Are you okay?"

Tessa looked up and saw a look of genuine concern on Tifa's face. Her long brown hair hung in her face, her eyes were locked on Tessa's, and she was biting her lower lip.

"I don't need pity," Tessa said as she wiped her eyes. "Just leave me alone."

"It's okay, you lost your friends," Tifa said quietly. "It's good to cry."

"Shut up!" Tessa screamed, her face growing red with embarrassment. "They weren't my friends! Adette's not my friend! It's just me, it's all me!"

"What are you talking about?" Holt asked as he squatted at Tessa's side. "You were taking the brunt of those attacks in the sewers when I saved you so that the other girl wouldn't. Why do that if she's not a friend?"

Tessa began breathing heavily and gritted her teeth. "I did it because, for once, I didn't want to be the cause of someone's death. Phelan is probably dead because of me, the SeeD in the cafeteria, Alex…"

"What are you talking about?" Holt repeated, but Tessa didn't say anything else. Rather, she stood up and skulked away.

---

"I need a cigarette," Tessa said to one in particular. In fact, no one else was in the office that Liana had shown her earlier. On the floor lay a folded up blanket and a single pillow. "But what the fuck would you know about that?"

The portrait of Seifer Almasy didn't speak back. He just merely continued looking smug and intimidating, his eyes burning into Tessa's.

"So, Mr. Security Guard, you were the leader of this country," Tessa told the painting. "What happened to you? How could you work at Garden after all of the things these people said you did? The ethnic cleansing of Trabia, the assassination of the Magistrate of Dollet, the invasion of Midgar, all of it."

Tessa sat on the desk and looked out the window. Below, the Rots seemed to be growing agitated as they wandered around and bumped into each other. She felt a nicotine craving begin to surge and grabbed a paperweight. She grimaced and threw it at the wall, but missed and shattered the window.

She jumped up and ran to the window, looking out and seeing the Rots scattering away from the place where the paperweight and broken glass had landed. Wondering why they were doing it, Tessa scratched her head.

"There's something you need to know," Liana said as she walked into the room. Tessa turned around, the shattered window behind her. "What happened?"

"My best friend, her name was Liana," Tessa said out of nowhere. "I miss her."

Liana was clearly unsure of what to say. "Well, it's about you other friend, the one you brought with you."

"What about Adette?" Tessa asked with an eye roll.

"She's awake."


	36. Hunter's Eyes

Hunter's Eyes:

A/N: Amazingly enough, this chapter _isn't_ told from Tessa's POV. So to speak. I wanted to show how things were going back at Garden, since it does take a formative role later in the story. And remember, R&R!

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His face itched where he'd slept on it the night before. Up the entire night cramming for his GF test, Hunter Vance yawned and pulled his face off his textbook. On the page covered with his drool was a drawing of Mist, a legendary dragon GF that hadn't been seen in over 500 years, sketched before the invention of cameras.

Hunter wiped his face and glanced at his bed. It was a mess, even though he hadn't slept in it. His blanket was hanging over the edge, obscuring a large portion of his floor. The sheets had come loose and showed bare mattress, which was faded with age. A pillowcase lay on one side of the bed, and the pillow on the other.

_I'll worry about it later,_ he decided as he pushed his chair out from under the desk and stood up. He wobbled slightly because his left foot still asleep, but he quickly stomped it back to consciousness.

His mind was concentrated on his test as he changed into a fresh student uniform. The shower that he shared with his roommate, a muscular jock named Bastion, had been broken for several days and was still in need of repair. Hunter was afraid he would have to remind the Garden staff if something wasn't done soon. However, in the meantime, a girl down the hall had been letting him use hers. Her roommate was out on assignment and expected back later that day.

"What did she say her roommate was named?" Hunter asked himself aloud as he grabbed a towel from the cupboard in the bathroom. He set it on the sink and placed a bottle shampoo and a bar of soap, wrapped in a washcloth, on the towel before wrapping it up like a hobo's suitcase. He slung the makeshift bag over his shoulder and stepped out of the bathroom. Bastion's snores could be heard through his closed door.

"Hey, Hunter," a SeeD hollered as Hunter closed his dorm's door. "What're you doing?"

"My shower's broken," Hunter responded. "The young lady down the hall is letting me use hers until it gets fixed."

"Who is it?" the SeeD asked as he fell in step with the white-haired student.

"Lilith in 35D," he answered.

"Jayne's roommate?" the SeeD said with a laugh. "Dude, you're in for some rough shit if you run into Jayne."

Hunter bowed his head and thoughtfully scratched it with his free hand. "Why should I be worried about this Jayne?"

"Jayne hates men," the SeeD explained. "I mean, she would go to an all-women's Garden if she thought it were possible."

"I know someone like that," Hunter confessed. His mind flew to the red-haired Amazon and a twang of guilt spread through his body, causing him to wince.

"Something wrong?" the SeeD asked.

"It is just a bad memory," Hunter said as he ran a hand through his shock of white hair. "It should soon pass."

"Well, this is your stop."

"What?" Hunter said before realizing he was outside Lilith's dorm. "Oh, yes."

"See you," the SeeD said with a wave.

"Farewell," Hunter said as he turned the doorknob. _Who was he?_

---

"I feel like crap," Andel Haylen complained to Hunter later that day.

"Go see Dr. Kadowaki," Hunter suggested as he shoved a hotdog in his mouth.

The two students were in the cafeteria, among the last to get hotdogs. Even though it wasn't the same kitchen that the cooks had used during the Third Sorceress War, the common consensus was that the hotdogs were just as good as they had once been. Indeed, they seemed to have even grown in popularity.

"Can't, she's out at some medical convention," Andel countered. "Her timing really sucks, what with this weird flu going around. I mean, that on top of this."

Andel held his left arm out and carefully rolled back the sleeve. The arm had turned an odd shade of green and was beginning to cover in sores. Hunter gagged and dropped his hotdog onto his tray.

"Put that away," Hunter said as he covered his face with his hands. " Go pour some alcohol on it. It's beginning to look infected."

"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much that would burn?"

"Have Professor Aki take a look at it. He's the Medical Instructor, isn't he?" Hunter suggested.

Andel sheathed his arm and shook his head. "How're things with you and that red-head, Tessa? She's one fine piece of woman."

"Clearly you have spent no time with her," Hunter said, glad for the distraction from his friend's arm. "If Antessence heard you say that, you would be dead."

"I don't see why you're always pining over her. With that accent of yours, you could get any woman you want," Andel said with open jealousy. "I haven't had a date in months."

"Alas, I know," Hunter said dramatically. He played up his accent, drawing admiring looks from a couple of female SeeDs from the next table. "However, there is something irresistible about the unattainable."

"So you're into dikes?"

"What do you mean?" Hunter winked at the SeeDs and turned back to his friend. "What is a dike?"

"You know, a lesbian, a carpet-eater," Andel said with a laugh. "She doesn't like meat, if you know what I'm saying."

"Antessence is a vegetarian?" Hunter said out of confusion. "And she eats carpet? This doesn't sound like the Antessence I knew back at Lotia Garden."

"Listen, you've only been here for a few days and all of Garden already knows who you are. I really recommend you learn some of the lingo. The accent will only get you so far."

"Well, what is a dike?" Hunter asked rather loudly, drawing snickers from the same SeeDs that he had been flirting with just moments before.

"Quiet!" Andel said as he held his hands up. "A dike is a girl who likes other girls. You know, sexually."

"Oh, you mean a _tocaro,_" Hunter said with a laugh. "Antessence isn't a 'dike.' She's just incredibly, shall we say, bold."

---

"_I can't believe you let him get away with it!" the young girl screamed in Junonian as she pointed her index finger at Hunter. He cringed at the words, trying to hide his shame-riddled face. Little success went his way, because she seemed be underneath his eyelids. Her shrill voice burrowed its way into his skull and the words pounded his brain. "You were supposed to protect me!"_

"_I tried," Hunter pleaded as he shook his head. Tears were flowing down his tanned cheeks and his breathing was ragged and sporadic. He slammed his hands over his ears and tried to block out her voice, but his heart seemed to beat in tune with it._

"_You failed, Hunter! You let me down!" she yelled at him. The girl had her fists clenched at her sides and her faced scrunched up. "I'm dead, thanks to you!"_

"_I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do," he sobbed. Hunter choked back vomit and covered his head. "I'm so sorry, Alex."_

"_Quiet!" Alex screamed as Hunter squeezed his eyes shut. "You let me die, so now I'm going to make you pay!"_

"STOP!"

Hunter sat up in bed, his skin covered in cold sweat. His sheets were drenched and had a slight odour. He blinked until his vision cleared. He was worried because the last thing he heard hadn't been a part of his dream.

Warm feet met the cold floor as Hunter got out of bed and walked to his door. He placed his ear against it and listened, but didn't hear anymore screaming.

His wet, standard-issue pyjamas clung to his body as he grabbed the fighting stick by his desk. The main thing that Hunter had gone to Lotia Garden to study was Magic, and he transferred to Balamb Garden after he surpassed the instructors at Lotia. However, it had been impressed upon him to study something other than Magic, just in case.

The GF lying on the desk was Lakja, a grey dragon that blasted ice when summoned; Hunter grabbed and junctioned it before cautiously opening his door. The common room that he shared with Bastion was empty and Hunter's roommate couldn't be heard, which worried him. Bastion's snoring often woke him.

A scream wafted through the thin wooden door, a bloodcurdling shout that made his bronzed skin turn an ashy white. Hunter ran to the door and threw it open.

He glanced down the hallway and saw nothing, even as he heard another scream. He then turned his head and looked down the other end of the hall, toward the dormitory's exit. Vomit sprang up into Hunter's mouth and he slammed the door.

"That wasn't happening," the white-haired youth told himself. "That can't have been happening."

Bastion's door opened and the large teenager spilled out of his room and onto the floor. Hunter dropped his fighting stick and ran to his roommate's side.

"Are you well?" Hunter asked. "Do you need help?"

Bastion roared and launched himself at Hunter, who fell back on his haunches. Hunter kicked Bastion in the face, but the bigger student didn't seem to notice. That was when Hunter saw the infected bite on his arm and the large sores on his face. It was incredibly similar to what Andel had shown him earlier that day.

Hunter moved away from Bastion by kicking at, and sliding across, the floor. His roommate crawled after him, so Hunter raised his right hand and launched a Thundara spell. It hit bastion in the head, stunning him. Hunter scrambled to his feet and ran into his room. He slammed the door and locked it before stumbling back and falling on the bed in shock. After what he had seen in the hallway, he didn't know what was going on.


	37. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five:

A/N: Not much to say about this chapter. Just R&R, and tell your friends!

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It had been at least a day since Tessa had arrived in the safety of the Residence, and her body showed it. Every muscle in her body screamed as she ran to the room where Adette was being kept. She was excited, but she had no idea why. Adette was hardly a friend.

The large door soon loomed before her. On the other side of the polished wood was the only other survivor from the Balamb party, the only other person capable of thinking with a clear mind.

Tessa recognized that Tifa was a hero and had saved the world, but she had done it with the help of two people that were trained in the art of combat. Tifa hadn't had that type of training, but Tessa and Adette had. However, Tifa was a good fighter. When Avalanche had converged upon Junon and stolen a submarine from Shinra, one the local SeeDs on reconnaissance had filmed part of the altercation. Before the Lotia Garden staff had seized the video, Tessa had been among the masses to view it and was fascinated by the hand-to-hand fighter on the screen.

"Adette?" Tessa whispered as she eased open the door. She saw the empty bed and the blood drained from her face. "Adette?"

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Tessa turned around and her vision painfully exploded in stars. The floor rushed up at her.

"Hyne, what did I do?" Tessa heard Adette gasp. "I didn't… I thought you were…"

"Why do people keep hitting me?" Tessa complained as she rubbed the side of her head. It was still sore from the whack Macone had given to her earlier, and Adette hadn't made it feel any better. "I'm going to get a concussion."

"I'm so sorry, I… what the hell is wrong with you?" Adette shrieked.

Her sight was still fuzzy, but Tessa made out Adette slowly backing away. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision and figure out what was going on. "What are you talking about?"

"Your fucking eyes are fucking red! You're a fucking freak!"

Tessa grabbed the doorknob and pulled herself up. She realized why Adette was freaking out. "There is nothing wrong with me, you stupid bitch. I've always been like this."

"No, you haven't, you had green eyes," she reminded him. "You're a freak!"

"Would you stop saying that?" Tessa whined as she grabbed her head. Her temples throbbed and things still looked a little fuzzy. She stepped forward unsteadily. "You're starting to piss me off."

"Stay away from me!" Adette warned as she grabbed a small electric lamp from the bedside table. The cord caught on the headrest, so she jerked it out of the lamp.

She held it out in front of her like a sword, both hands gripping the metal base. It soared through the air as she gave it a test swing before locking her eyes on Tessa.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tessa asked with a wince. "I'm trained in martial arts and you're a firearms major. You won't be able to touch me with that thing. By the way, what did you sucker-punch me with? The last thing I need is head trauma."

"Where am I? Where are Phelan and Mr. Dincht? Miss Xu? Miss Rinoa?" Adette screamed. Her eyes were wide and bulging, reminding Tessa of how Rinoa had acted down in the sewers. The hysteria was oddly similar between the two women. "Tell me you freak!"

"Shut up!" Tessa screamed as she held her head. "Just shut up! They're dead, all of them. We're all that's left!"

The lamp fell from Adette's hands, hitting the floor and shattering. Her eyes were wet and shining from the streetlight outside. She plopped on the edge of the bed, the springs squeaking beneath her weight.

"How did they die?"

It was Tessa's turn to have her eyes grow wide, until she remembered that memory loss was a common side effect of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She realized that it was miracle she hadn't gone into shock herself.

She didn't want to tell Adette about the creatures Zell had coined "Rots." All it would do was remind her of the impending doom outside the walls.

"Look out the window," she said. "That's how they were killed."

Tessa closed her eyes and remembered the man with the greying hair shooting Rinoa and Zell. Images of Phelan and Xu swam into her mind's eye. What had happened to them after they were left behind in the large arch, the Gate in the centre of the metropolis? She didn't really know what had happened to them, but there was no point in building up false hope.

"Is there a riot going on?" Adette asked despondently as she stood by the window. Tessa hadn't even noticed it when she stood up. "Where are we, again?"

"We're in Galbadia City. I don't know what's going on," Tessa admitted. She closed her eyes, again, and tried to remember what day it was. How long had it been since she had left the Garden? The train ride? The airship crash? She grabbed her hair out of frustration, trying to remember.

"How are we going to get back to Garden?" Adette asked, interrupting Tessa's thoughts again. "Should we wait until the police take care of the rioters?"

"The police are dead, too," Tessa said quietly. As hard as she'd tried not to, she was thinking about her future and whether or not she would die; if she would become a Rot, too. "Just like the rioters."

"They're dead?" the other girl asked with no emotion in her voice. Tessa shivered. "I guess that would make sense. Some of them have their intestines spilling out, after all."

"Yes," Tessa said oddly as she backed away from Adette, who was still looming by the window. Her face showed no trace of curiousness or fear. "Well, I'm going to go now."

Adette turned and looked at Tessa with blank eyes. There was no awareness, no life in them. That was when Tessa realized that Adette was as dead inside as the creatures out in the streets. Adette didn't blink, she just said, "Goodbye, then."

When she got out in the hallway and closed the door behind her, Tessa grabbed a handful of her own hair and pulled out of frustration. Several red strands came loose and were dropped to the floor.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tessa whispered as she leaned against the heavy oak door. "Damn you, Hyne! What have you done to her, you old bastard?"

Just then, Macone came strolling through the hallway. When he caught sight of Tessa he sneered and walked over to her. "So, I hear your girlfriend is finally awake. That must make you happy, you little cunt."

"Now is not the best time," Tessa warned. She could feel her blood start to boil, but the last thing she needed to do was get in a fight. "So leave me alone."

"You know," Macone said as he leaned against the wall and gave Tessa the once-over, "you could be hot if you tried. It's a shame you have to ruin it by opening your trap."

"I said go away."

"You don't seem to understand," he hissed as he got into Tessa's face. She noticed that he was sporting the black eye she had given him. "You're not one of us, you don't belong here. If it weren't for Holt, you'd be dead and floating facedown in a sewer right now. Hell, you still smell like shit."

"I'm not kidding, go away!"

"Sure thing," Macone said with a laugh. "The stench is starting to bother me anyway. Just remember, we Galbadians don't like your kind here."

_My kind?_ Tessa wondered as she watched Macone skulk off. _What in Hyne's name does that mean?_


	38. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six:

A/N: I'm just letting you all know now that these three chapters are the tops in writing, in my opinion. Plot-wise, though, it's still up in the air. And I'm changing the rating from T to M, and after you read you'll know why.

**Chocobo Nunchaku:** You think Rinoa was shot? Hmm... not touching that one.

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"That was close," Tessa said to herself as Holt wrapped a strip of cloth around her right hand. She gripped the armrest with her left hand as he tightened the makeshift bandage. It felt like white-hot needles were being pressed into her palm.

Holt looked up at her with a quizzical expression. He was kneeling on the floor as Tifa, Liana, and a man she hadn't met before stared at her with their mouths hanging open.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

"I'm not sure," Tessa lied as she shifted in the chair. Her face was no longer hidden by her long locks of red hair, which were now lying around her feet. Instead, the black- and blue-tinged bruises on her face were harshly evident, along with the wounds she had received down in the sewer. However, these bruises were much fresher, just beginning to turn. "I don't really remember what happened."

"We knew that there were problems," Tifa stepped forward and laid a hand on Tessa's forearm. The warm sensation of skin on skin seemed to improve the situation slightly for the redhead, even if it was accusatory. Tifa looked into Tessa's eyes, and she could tell the other woman was searching for the truth. "We didn't know that they were this bad."

Holt let go of Tessa's hand. The white sheet, which had been torn into strips, was already crimson in several areas and it was spreading across the fabric like an invading army. She squeezed it, painfully testing to see if the digits were still working. When she took her eyes away from Tifa and looked at Holt, the man couldn't seem to look her in the face.

"Did you…" the fourth person, the new guy, asked Tessa. She briefly wondered why she hadn't met him until that moment. She had already met Andrea and Caloe, the young mother and her infant daughter. Then there had been Divel and Lotak, the tour guides of the museum who had escaped the early carnage by locking themselves in one of the bathrooms. "Did you really?"

"I had no choice," she said as she rubbed her leg, trying to get some of the feeling back where the circulation had been cut off.

"Child, what have you done?" Liana asked in her peculiar accent. Tessa had tried forever to place it, but its familiarity only seemed to make it harder. The wrinkled face was contorted in a mask of pain. Not for herself, the pain was for Tessa.

"Could you guys leave us alone, please?" Holt asked his companions in a raspy voice. Tessa grew fidgety as Liana shuffled out of the room, followed by Tifa and the unnamed man. After the door closed behind them, Holt stood up and walked to it. The click of the lock was followed by a long silence.

Tessa bit her lip and cradled her injured hand against her chest, staining the Galbadian uniform with blood. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but Holt grabbed another chair and dragged it to where he could sit in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he gently grabbed Tessa's injured hand. He held it tenderly between his own two strong, healthy one. His chin was covered with a five o'clock shadow that only served to make him look older. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I think I've pretty much done everything," Tessa said darkly. She gave a bitter laugh before closing her eyes sighing.

"I guess that's true," Holt concurred sadly. "Can't you think of why it happened? I mean, it was just so improbable. I've thought of doing it myself several times, but…"

"…but you're not that crazy," Tessa finished his sentence. "What typical chauvinistic thinking. Hyne, I hate men."

"I was going to say that I wasn't that crazy, yes," Holt admitted, "but the circumstances were different for me. I guess I just didn't realize how dangerous…"

Tessa interrupted Holt again, but not with words. Her left hand was on the back of his head, grabbing a fistful of hair as she kissed the man almost three times her age.

It had been four years since she had last kissed someone, four years since anyone had wanted to kiss her. Sure, Phelan was smitten, but she didn't count him. He didn't know what had happened, the torture she had gone through. Her old friends had stopped speaking to her. Thalia, the head of the Festival Committee at Lotia Garden, called her "broken goods" with a sneer after _it_ happened.

The only people that didn't seem to care were the only friends she had left behind when she transferred, Liana and Dave. Except for Hunter, who continued to act as though nothing had happened. All that did was make Tessa madder. It was like he refused to acknowledge what had happened to her, to Alex. It seemed like a betrayal to her memory.

"I'm sorry," Tessa sadly laughed as she pulled away. "I don't know what that was."

Holt didn't answer. He just let go of Tessa's hand and caressed the sides of her face with his. Leaning in, he kissed her much more gently than she had him. Tessa closed her eyes and let herself get caught in the moment. Her own good hand ran along Holt's right arm and onto his broad shoulder. She moved her chair to get closer to him, so that she could feel every inch of his body. The wrinkles of his face were the most pleasing to her touch, each one telling a story of a moment in his life.

They stood up and pressed their bodies together, and their lips parted and met again. Tessa's knees were still wobbly, so Holt wrapped his arms around her waist and held her up. It made her feel good that he was looking past her wounds and at her, or, at least, that's what she thought. However, it also scared her to death.

Reluctantly, she pulled away for a second time. Tears were in her eyes and she was hating herself for being so weak. _I don't need a man, right?_ she reminded herself.

"What is it?" Holt asked as he gasped for breath. "Did I do something wrong?"

Tessa shook her head, afraid that her voice would give away her insecurities. She blinked back her tears and looked at the floor.

Holt began rubbing her arms, but she stepped away again. His face grew red and angry. "Fine, fuck you, you stupid tease." He stormed off and slammed the door behind him.

The night sky rumbled and a lightning bolt streaked across the sky. Tessa twitched and walked to the window. Fat raindrops began pelting the window with such force that they shook the frame. Illuminated under the streetlights, the Rots wandered aimlessly, unbothered by the downpour.

Thinking back, Tessa realized that she was finally getting what she wanted. "It's about fucking time."

She held her bandaged hand up to her chest and sighed, exhaling hundreds of emotions at once. Tessa walked to the door and opened, listening to see if Holt was within earshot. When she was finally satisfied that he was gone, the redhead stepped into the hallway and softly closed the door.

After the click, signifying everything was in place door-wise, Macone sat up and sniffed the air. The smell of blood was heavy and he stared blankly at his hand for a few seconds before standing up. He wandered around the room searching for something that wasn't there, completely oblivious to the letter opener sticking out of his chest.


	39. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven:

"They're in, they're inside!" someone shouted. Many more screams soon joined.

Moans reached Tessa's ears, loud moans that overpowered the sounds of fear. She ran to Adette's room and threw the door open. The other girl was not in the room. Tessa glanced under the bed, looked in the closet, and even checked the bathroom. It was almost as though she had vanished off the face of the planet.

A woman's scream and baby's wail shot through the Residence, but were quickly cut off. Tessa shuddered at the possibilities of what had happened. She leaned over the fancy bed and vomited. Or, rather, she would have if she had eaten. Instead, her body was wracked with dry heaves.

_The roof,_ she thought. Panic was gripping her mind and she fought to stay calm. The roof would be the safest place; they could make a stand there. If it came down to it, she realized that she could always flee on Phoenix. She told herself that it would be better to live than die protecting people. Especially when there was no chance of winning.

When she left the empty room, someone else screamed. It was a man, but she didn't recognize the voice. Her mind flew to Holt, but she pushed the thought back. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't a great loss, just another man. She couldn't make herself believe it.

Tessa rounded the corner, holding her empty stomach in pain. The chewing sounds reached her ears before she saw it. A couple of Rots were holding a man down, and she saw a severed forearm lying off to the side. A large pool of blood surrounded it and a watch from the museum's gift shop was on the wrist. The man was still screaming and thrashing about, clearly alive.

"Hold on!" she yelled, drawing the attention of the Rots. She pointed her left hand at them and blacks sprays flew out and into their red eyes, a Blind spell.

They wandered around blindly, stumbling into the walls. Tessa slowly weaved between them, trying hard not come into contact. She pressed herself against the wall as one passed.

She was about to give off a sigh of relief when the Rot suddenly stopped and turned back in her direction. It charged at her and she ducked. The Rot, a twenty-something man with severe burns on his face and a charred smell, ran face-first into the wall. Tessa raised her right hand a blasted him with a Thunder spell.

The second Rot reached her and grabbed her arm. Tessa couldn't pull herself from the grip, she was weak and it seemed to be inhumanly strong. She shoved her right hand against its chest and fired off another Thunder spell. It fell, pulling her down as well.

"Let. Me. Go." she said, punctuating each word with equal importance. She grabbed the arm that was holding her at the elbow and cast a Fire spell, burning the flesh off. With a tug, her arm came free, the Rot's with it. She pulled it off and hit the Rot in the head with the severed appendage.

When she had the opportunity to do so, Tessa stole a glance at the man she was saving. Lotak had been a tour guide before Galbadia City had fallen into the clutches of the undead. When he realized what was going on, Divel and he closed down the museum and barricaded all of the doors. The other survivors had already been in the Residence when the shit hit the fan. Only Tessa, Tifa, and Adette had arrived afterward. Everyone else was slaughtered in the streets.

As Tessa looked down at the man, seeing that he had only one attached arms and several organs spilling out, she knew he would die. Comforting words traveled up her vocal cords and into her mouth, but stopped short of her lips. She knew that nothing she said would make him feel better, so she said nothing. Instead, she grabbed his pale face with her bandaged right hand and cast Thunder.

Lotak went into a series of seizures before his brain went out, fried by Tessa's spell. The young warrior said nothing as she slowly turned back to the advancing pair of Rots. She stood up, her stomach rumbling painfully, and backed up, stepping over Lotak's body. They didn't pursue her, kneeling down and tearing off large amounts of still-warm meat. One of the Rots bit off a large amount of his neck, swallowing veins and tendons.

They ignored Tessa, who gagged as she left the carnage behind. If she remembered correctly, there were at least two more hallways. One of the hallways passed right by the staircase that led down to the lobby. She had to pass it to get to the roof.

_You should have eaten!_ she mentally scolded herself. Earlier that day, Tifa had offered her some of the sweets from the gift shop, the only food left in the museum. Tessa had been stupid and refused. It had been right after the Holt disaster, and she didn't want to be around people. She regretted the decision.

Luck gave Tessa a second chance when she saw that the next hallway was empty. Her boots left bloody footprints on the rich carpeting from where she'd stepped in Lotak's blood. When she reached the end of the hall and turned, Tessa had to bite to keep from cursing.

The lobby had become a seething mass of moans and decay. Bodies missing legs drug themselves around with their hands; faces were missing eyes, teeth, cheeks, and a few were even minus jaws; several smaller Rots, which had once been children, swarmed around the legs of the taller ones. Then they noticed their prey.

Out of desperation, Tessa slapped the pin on her chest, activating Phoenix. A light enveloped her and, seconds later, the large bird was filling the lobby. However, as spacious as hit had been built, there was no room in the Residence for a creature the size of Phoenix. Its great head was pushed against the ceiling, the neck twisted, and the wings folded back so that it could fit.

The Rots, at first confused by the sudden change in the environment, immediately descended upon the trapped GF. Tessa turned away, a mixture of sorrow and disgust etched on her face. Another bright light filled the room. When Tessa looked back, Phoenix was gone and the Rots were slowly making their way up the large staircase.

"What do I do? What can I do?" she muttered wildly.

Red eyes, _her_ eyes traveled across the room in search of an escape. She couldn't make it to the other end of the hall quick enough to avoid a fight, which she was too weak to win. The possibility of going back and hiding in one of the rooms was still available, but she didn't want to trap herself. Finally, the red eyes rested on the chandelier.

Tessa held out her right hand, pointing it at the bulk of brass and candles. Her plan was to knock it down onto the Rots and try to escape. The chain it suspended from would be melted.

When no flame jumped out of her hand, she panicked. She had used up her supply of Fire spells. Tessa quickly turned around in search of another means of escape. There was none. A new set of moans broke out and Tessa turned around to find the two Rots that had killed Lotak stumbling toward her.

"No!" she screamed, pointing her right hand at the creatures walking up the stairs. A volley of Thunder spells flew from it, each bolt striking a different Rot and momentarily stunning it. Then she ran out of Thunder spells.

The Rots behind Tessa were only a few metres away when the redhead dropped to her knees and stared at the one whose arm she had removed. Her eyes locked onto its, and the thing stopped. All it did was stare at her with blinded eyes, even as its companion continued moving.

She tore her eyes away and gave the decreasing space around her one final once over. The Rot that had stopped was shuffling toward her again with a loud screech. She closed her eyes and a Rot fell on top of her, knocking Tessa to the floor.

Screams gushed out of her lungs as more and more Rots collapsed on her. However, something was off. She wasn't being shredded and devoured like Lotak had been, the Rots were just pressing on her like dead weight. Tessa didn't consider the irony as she pulled herself from the massive pile of bodies, gagging from the smell.

The Rots on the floor weren't moving, a fact that Tessa noticed as she watched Rots on the stairs fall to the ground and tumble over the railings.

"They were going to kill you," someone said from behind. "Can I take my shower now?"

Tessa whirled around and saw Adette calmly staring at her. In one hand was a Galbadian military-issued handgun with a silencer on the barrel; the other held a blue towel.

"Where were you?" Tessa asked, momentarily forgetting the immense danger behind her.

"I was getting ready for my shower," Adette said as she held up the linen. "Can I get it now? I smell like a sewer."

The moans behind Tessa grew louder and she grabbed Adette's arms. "Maybe later. Can you tell me where you got that gun?"

"The ammunitions room," Adette said as she followed Tessa down the long hallway. She was completely unaware of what was going on. "It's across the hall from my room. Could I get my shower while you get a gun?"

Tessa ran, forgetting her pain and dragging Adette behind her in an attempt to escape the moaning masses. "Where?"

Adette stopped moving and Tessa's feet nearly flew out from under her. She jerked on the girl's arm, but Adette refused to move. She just stared at a solid metal door that Tessa hadn't noticed before.

"Here it is," Adette said as ran her hand over the metal. Then she knocked on it and waited for an answer.

"What are you doing?" Tessa screamed. A Rot had gotten within three metres by that time, but it was quickly dispatched by Adette. "Open the door!"

"I don't want to be rude," Adette answered with a blink. "What if someone's in there?"

Tessa didn't answer; she just pushed past Adette and grabbed the doorknob. The door flew open and hit the wall as Tessa pushed Adette in the room and slammed the door behind them. She locked it and slid to the floor with a sob. Her eyes scanned the room and a woman was sitting in a corner trembling.

"Watch the door," Tessa commanded with a shaky voice. Adette stepped back and aimed her gun as Tessa crawled to the third woman. She sat by her side and put a hand on her back. "It's okay now."

Seconds later Tessa screamed when she realized the woman was Tifa. However, her fear was caused by something else. Tifa's face was smeared with blood and bodily juices and a loop of intestines hung from her mouth, her own intestines. Tifa had been eating herself.

Before either woman could react, Tifa's brain exploded out the side of her head and onto the wall. Her shoulders slumped and she fell forward against the wall, sliding to the floor. Adette calmly turned back to the door and Tessa began heaving again.

"She was going to kill you," Tessa heard Adette mutter. "Now you need a shower, too."

As she fought her revulsion, Tessa choked out a question. "Where is the ammunition?"

"Everywhere," Adette responded robotically.

Tessa looked around and saw that one wall was composed entirely of lockers similar to ones she had seen in the Shinra building at Junon. She wasn't supposed to be there, but a few friends and she had decided to test out their stealth training with an invasion. The footmen had stored their uniforms and rifles in them.

She stood on unsteady feet and walked to the nearest locker. The name "Jacks" was written on a piece of masking tape stuck on the small metal door. Tessa lifted the latch and pulled it open to reveal a shotgun, a semiautomatic pistol, and a metal cashbox labelled "demolition ammo." There was also a holster for the pistol on the bottom of the locker.

Tessa lifted the holster out of the locker and tried to slip it around her waist, but it wouldn't fit.

"It's a shoulder holster," Adette said. "It goes around the shoulder."

"Wow, the name so didn't tell me that," Tessa said bitterly. She readjusted the strap until it slid between one arm and her head, straining against her neck. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it wasn't painful either.

"Every weapon in every country is modified to use the same type of ammunition. One of Galbadia's main exports is weaponry," Adette droned as though she were taking an orated test. "All of the specialized ammunition is refined from rare items in conjunction with the GF Ifrit, or through the use of the rare Payload Materia. Only the Galbadian military and the private Shinra forces possess that Materia."

"I don't need a lesson in the history of bullets. Besides, you just point and pull the trigger, right?" Tessa snapped. She picked up the pistol and turned it over in her hand. "Just show me how to load this thing."

Adette dropped her arms and sat her handgun on the floor. She walked to Tessa and took the pistol from her. "This is a Claire .53, one of the more powerful of the handguns assigned to low-level officers in the Galbadian military. It's not very accurate from a distance, but it makes up in the amount of rounds it fires: 17 in one second. There are two settings, single-shot and rapid fire.

"The clip holds 50 rounds, so I'd recommend using the single-shot setting to conserve ammunition. The loading system is spring activated and is controlled by pushing a small button on the side of the handle to eject the empty clip. To reload is as simple as inserting a new clip into the base."

"Blah blah," Tessa said as she took the pistol back and slid it into the holster. She dove back into the locker and produced the box of ammunition. Her fingers slid under the latch and popped open the lid. The box was full of small clips of bullets. "Are these for the pistol?"

Adette nodded and Tessa grabbed a handful, stuffing the clips into the pockets of her "stolen" uniform. When she went back for the shotgun, Adette grabbed her hand. "I'll take that."

"Why not the handgun?" Tessa asked resentfully.

For a brief moment, a flash of awareness crept into Adette's eyes. "I don't want the girl gun."

"What?" Tessa was caught off guard.

Adette said nothing more as she reached into the locker and grabbed the shotgun. She cocked it and held it up in front of her, the towel wrapped around the butt.

Tessa picked up Adette's discarded handgun and held it in front of her with both hands. "We should go, find another way to the roof."

"Why?" Adette asked as she waved her shotgun around. "Can I get a shower on the roof?"

"It's raining," Tessa informed her companion. "It might be cold, but you can take a shower up there."

"Good, I smell like a sewer."

As bad as she should have for lying to the girl, Tessa had no regrets as she opened the door. Adette stepped into the hallway and looked in both directions, and Tessa cast one final glance at Tifa's dead body.


	40. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

Tessa threw the empty handgun at one of her attackers and pulled out the pistol, aiming at the growing crowd of the undead. She hadn't seen Adette since they split up to look for a way to the roof and was thinking the worst when someone grabbed her from behind.

"Get off!" she yelled as she drove her elbow into the person's stomach.

"Oof!"

She whirled around and saw the man whose named she didn't know doubled over in pain and clearly still alive. Tessa turned her attention back to the Rots and opened fire. Five were closing in on her and the bullets spraying into their chests seemed to have no effect, so she readjusted her aim and four head exploded in a burst of bullets. The pistol, which had been left on rapid fire, began clicking, signifying that it was empty.

"Shit!" she yelled as the last Rot, dressed in a blood-spattered sundress, advanced toward her. The empty clip clattered on the floor as Tessa ejected it, but she didn't have time to put a new one in.

The Rot leapt at Tessa, who pistol-whipped it in the head. The skull, which had grown weak with malnutrition and decay, cracked and a horrible smell emanated from it, but the Rot kept after her. Tessa thrust the fingers on her bandaged hand into its eyes, feeling the soft tissue give way. Then she held it in place, avoiding the gnashing teeth as she continued to strike it in the head until the skull finally burst and she glimpsed greyed brain matter.

Tessa dropped the gun and stabbed the brain with her free hand, gagging and pulling out large quantities at a time until the Rot went limp and fell at her feet. She pulled her fingers out of its eyes and wiped both hands on her military uniform before picking up the gun and turning back to the man behind her.

He was short, black, and looked to be in his thirties. Tessa pulled another clip out of her pocket and slapped it into the gun before addressing him. "Who are you?"

"Z-Zhen," he answered nervously, eyeing the gun in Tessa's hand. "Please don't kill me."

"Why would I kill you?" Tessa asked angrily with flared nostrils. "Because you could've cost me my life during that fight? You idiot, don't do stupid shit like that. We both could've died."

"I'm sorry," he said as he dropped his head.

"You should be, worthless fucking man."

"What?"

"Unless you know a way out of here, shut the fuck up," Tessa said as she pointed the gun in Zhen's face. "I don't feel like dying today, and this place is filling up with those things."

"I know a way out," Zhen said quietly.

"What?" Tessa screamed at him, echoing his thoughts from seconds earlier. "Pull your head out of your ass and tell me already!"

"You don't have to be so mean!" Zhen mumbled.

"I heard that," Tessa said as she grabbed Zhen's shirt collar. She shoved the barrel of the gun against his temple and a maniacal look crossed her face. "I have the gun, so I can be mean if I want. Now tell me how to get out of here or I'll leave you to get eaten by those things!"

Zhen sighed, resigned to his fate. "Alright, it's the third floor. There's a balcony and, if you go out onto it, there's a ladder that leads up to the roof and down to the ground. But why would you want to go out there?"

"I would rather die on my terms," she answered. She withdrew the gun and extended her hand. Zhen grabbed it and she helped him to his feet. "Now come on, let's go."

They crept along the hallway, waiting for something to jump out and attack. Tessa strained her ears in hopes of hearing Adette or the blast of a shotgun, but it was silent. She couldn't even hear the moans of the Rots anymore.

_Did I really kill them all?_ she thought. _No, that's not possible. There had to have been thousands out there._

"What're you thinking?" Zhen whispered.

"Shut the fuck up! That's what I'm thinking. I need to hear if something is coming."

"I'll have you know…" Zhen said loudly as he stood up at full height, but his words were cut off. A Rot had snuck up during their argument.

Yellowed teeth sunk into Zhen's shoulder, and a piece of flesh and muscle the size of pork chop wound its way down the Rot's throat.

"Get it off me! Get it off me!" Zhen screamed as the Rot tore another chunk of meat out of him. The gun in Tessa's hand went off and a bullet tore through Zhen's neck. Before she could take the time to register what she had done, Tessa fired the pistol again and the Rot fell to the floor with half of its face missing.

Zhen jerked on the floor, red blood spurting on the wall and staining the carpet. Tessa stood over him with a look of resigned defeat. She pointed the gun at him, trying to avoid his widened eyes as she pulled the trigger. Afterward, she started heaving on the carpet.

_Maybe it's a good thing I didn't eat,_ Tessa told herself. _It would've just ended up on the floor anyway. Hyne, what's going on in this city?_

Tessa stood up and ran down the hall, wishing she had a flashlight or more Fire spells. All she wanted was to close her eyes and wish that she hadn't woken up. Seven people died by her hand in one day; five who weren't even human anymore. One of her idols was dead because of a shot in the head, after Tessa witnessed her engaging in self-cannibalism.

"Third floor, third floor," she kept repeating to herself as she skulked through the empty building. She put the pistol back in the holster and shook her head. Gore that had clung to her hair flew into her face and caused the young soldier to gag. Tessa wiped it off and slung it against the wall with a shudder.

_How long had it been since the Rots had gotten into the Residence? How did they get into the Residence? There was no provocation, and they appeared docile until some prey appears,_ Tessa thought. Try as she might, though, she couldn't make sense of what was going on around her. _I checked the barricades myself. Someone had to have let them in. Either that, or…_

She didn't have time to finish her ruminations. A male Rot in a tattered business suit stumbled out of a nearby doorway and had bloody entrails clutched in its filthy hands. Tessa grabbed at her gun and the noise drew the attention of the creature, which lurched toward her.

Tessa screamed and threw up her hands, catching the shoulders of the monster. Her bandaged right hand tore and began bleeding, causing Tessa to cry out in shock and pain. Taking advantage of his prey, the Rot bit at Tessa, catching a mouthful of her hair. It jerked its head back, ripping out the hair and pulling a small piece of scalp with it. She screamed again as the Rot chewed on the hair for a few seconds before spitting it out in disgust.

"Let me go!" Tessa screamed as she pushed on the Rot. "Leave me alone!"

Tough bone met soft flesh as Tessa tried to fend off her attacker, but it seemed to have no effect. Her knee sank into the Rot's midsection and, when she tore it away, the Rot's innards came with it. Even as the organs spilled around its feet, the monster seemed completely unaffected. Tessa, however, freaked out and screamed with her strength failing her.

Nothing more happened to her, though. The Rot's head exploded in a shower of blood and bone, brain matter covering Tessa's face. Something flew past her own head, and Tessa felt the displaced wind brush against her ear.

Gore flew from Tessa as she shook her head and wiped her face with her sleeve. When she finally looked ahead, she saw Rinoa Heartilly standing there with her right hand held up. A red and black "kite", her weapon of choice, was locked onto her arm and aimed at Tessa.

There was something different about Rinoa. The way she held herself, the look in her eyes, everything was different from the way Tessa remembered. She took a long, shuddering breath and stared at Tessa before aiming the projectile.

"What are you doing?" Tessa screamed as Rinoa released the "kite." The younger girl fell to the floor as the weapon flew overhead. A second later a body, minus its head, fell onto Tessa. Black ooze, as thick as oil, spilled out of the orface and onto the fighter.

"We need to get out of here," Rinoa said in a detatched voice. "It's not safe."

Tessa stood up and wiped her face off again before speaking. "I thought you were dead. I saw that man at the Caraway mansion fire his gun."

"My... that man didn't kill me," Rinoa said sharply. She raised her right arm and the projectile landed deftly in place. "He killed Zell. They... I..."

She didn't push for a further explanation, Tessa knew that it would only be a waste of time. Rinoa, it was clear, did not want to discuss what had happened in the Mansion. "How did you know where I was?"

"They kept me in a room with a window," Rinoa explained distantly. Tessa recognized the tone in Rinoa's voice, it was the same as Adette's. Something traumatizing had to have happened to her. "You spent a lot of time on the roof of this building.Lon and I came to rescue you."

"What about Adette?" Tessa said. "We need to get her out of here, too."

Rinoa laughed coldly and looked at Tessa. "I never expected you to care about someone other than yourself," Tessa cringed at the words "but Adette is fine. She's in the vehicle with Lon. They're waiting for us."

"How do you propose we get out of here?" Tessa asked as she removed her pistol from the holster. She popped the clip out, counted the number of bullets, 32, and slammed it back in place. Then she reached in her pockets and felt two clips left. "Sorceress power?"

"Don't be stupid," Rinoa said. "I still can't control my powers, so I prefer to not use them. This is how we get out."

A Whirlwind flew out of Rinoa's right hand and hit the wall beside her. It exploded at the force of the spell, chunks of cement and drywall falling to the grounds below. Rinoa stuck her hand out the hole and Tessa saw a flash of lightning, so she guessed it was a Thunder spell. Seconds later the sound of metal grinding on metal filled the air.

Tessa remembered reading about a situation in Dollet about 18 months before where a giant robot resembling a spider had blown up on the beach, causing hundreds of millions of Gil in damage. Now, another giant robot resembling a spider was storming down the grounds toward the Residence, crushing Rots and leaving eviscerated piles of gore in its wake. Tessa could see its hulking form through the hole.

The robot stopped outside of the Residence and raised itself on its legs so that the top was level with Rinoa's makeshift window. The Brunette jumped out of the hole and landed on top of the robots "head." A red visor, or windshield, opened and Rinoa climbed inside the metal contraption. The visor was blocking Tessa's view and she couldn't make out what was going on. Someone yelled for her, but it was something in the corner of her eye that had caught her attention.

"Holt!" she yelled as she dashed away from the hole in the wall. Her pistol found its way into her hand and Tessa raised it as she rounded the corner. Two Rots were bent over something and Tessa could hear someone screaming.

She fired and hit a Rot in the back, but the creatures didn't seem to notice. When she reached them, Tessa was running on pure adrenaline. Booted foot met decayed skull and one of the Rots fell back, clawing at the air. The gun was raised and fired, the truly dead person falling to the ground.

Rounding on the second one, Tessa grabbed it by a tattered shirt collar and pulled it to the ground before shoving the pistol against its temple, spraying the wall and herself with blackened blood and brain matter as she pulled the trigger. She wasn't bothered as she wiped the gore from face and slung it to the floor, her digits so sore that they were almost numb.

A man sat on the floor, staring at her and holding his hand. Red blood seeped through his fingers and ran down his arm, spreading out like a delta before dripping to the floor. Tessa smiled. Even though he was pale and his eyes were wide with fright, she immediately recognized Holt.

"Let's go!" she yelled at him as she heard more moaning. "Come on!"

Holt stood up and Tessa grabbed his shirtsleeve. She pulled and he slowly followed, stumbling but never falling. They ran into another Rot, but Tessa killed it with three wild shots. Eventually they reached the hallway where the hastily made exit was, but it was blocked by a group of four or five Rots trying to get out and to the living that waited in the metallic spider. Tessa couldn't remember how many bullets she had, but it didn't matter.

Jerking free of her grip, Holt ran at the dead screaming incoherently. He leapt on them, knocking two to the side and spilling onto the metal surface with the rest. Tessa followed, ignoring the two on the floor and diving through the hole and onto the "spider."

Chaos was opening as Holt pushed one of the Rots over the edge, only to have another one grab hold of him and bite his arm like it was a drumstick. Holt screamed and thrashed about, trying to get loose from the dead thing's grip. Tessa remembered the day in the cafeteria, how the dead SeeD was latched on her leg and it took decapitation to get free.

She shook her hair and narrowed her eyes, aiming for the Rot's head. By that time, she had figured out that the only way to kill them was by damaging the brain, even if she didn't know why. The recoil caught her by surprise and Tessa fell on her butt cursing.

When she looked up, she saw Holt teetering on the edge of the robot, a bloody hole in his chest. He grabbed the Rot and they both tumbled to the ground below.

Tessa tried to scream, tried to move, but her body seemed disconnected from her brain. Instead, the visor popped open and Rinoa stepped out. She walked to Tessa and helped the distraught teenager inside the cockpit/bridge where the others were. All the redhead could do was close her eyes and try to hold back the tears.


	41. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine:

A/N: Since apparently there are rules that say I can't respond directly to reviews here, I guess I have to stop. So sad, I know. At least I can still make general statements! So, if anyone was surprised by the deaths of the last few chapters, you haven't seen anything yet...

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Tessa was silent as the large robotic creature wound its way through the dead city. Corners of buildings chipped off and fell to the crowded streets below. The mechanical feet of the spider-like mammoth crushed cars and dismembered bodies. They passed a window where a woman pounded on the glass as her undead husband snuck up from behind. The robot didn't stop.

She wasn't in literal shock, not like the other two women. Adette stared out of the visor, her unfocused eyes surveying the surrounding carnage. Rinoa stood on a raised platform, leaning on a railing and looking straight ahead without blinking. Tessa merely sat in a corner watching everyone else. Only Lon was moving, pushing buttons and pulling levers to steer.

"Are you ladies okay?" Lon asked, his slow Galbadian accent wafting through the small bridge. "I haven't heard you gals say anything."

_That's because there's nothing to say, _Tessa thought miserably. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. It was still hard for her to believe the events that transpired just moments before. The blood on her hands would never wash off; she just knew it. The look on Holt's face before he plummeted to his death haunted her every time she closed her eyes. The pain in his eyes tore at her; shredded her heart. Even though he'd covered it with anger, Tessa had seen the same agony after their kisses. She had killed him.

"You're different," Rinoa said as she turned to Tessa. Adette adjusted her focus as well, settling her glazed-over eyes on the redhead. "What is it?"

"It's her eyes," Adette answered in the same dead tone as Rinoa. Tessa's eyes shuttled from one woman to the other, but she didn't say anything. However, Adette continued. "She has their eyes."

"Yes, she has their eyes. That's it."

"Yeah, well fuck you," Tessa barked angrily. She wasn't in the mood to be bothered about her eye colour. It was bad enough that she would catch the other survivors in the Residence staring at her. _Oh, right, they're dead. We're it. We're all that's left._

She pulled at her clothes, soaked because of the storm that had been raging outside. Tessa hadn't noticed it when she shot Holt, but the rain she'd noticed after their fight hadn't let up.

Her bandaged hand was held to her damp chest, like she was trying to protect it from the other occupants. Rinoa's eyes were still concentrated on her, as were Adette's. Clearly, they didn't think the conversation to be over.

"What else do you want?" Tessa snapped bitterly. "What do you damn bitches want from me?"

"You're injured," Rinoa said as she raised her weapon and aimed it at Tessa's head. Tessa's eyes widened and she pulled her pistol from its holster and pointed it at Rinoa. Off to the side the she heard a shotgun being cocked and assumed it was Adette.

"Is that cause to die?" Tessa asked fearfully as she placed both hands on the gun to steady her grip.

"Were you bitten?" Rinoa asked. Tessa let her eyes momentarily flick over to Adette before bringing them back to Rinoa. Both girls were indeed aiming weapons, though only Rinoa's was at Tessa.

An eyebrow was raised out of confusion and Tessa scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"In the sewer, you said a bite caused the transformation. That's why my…" Rinoa stopped mid-sentence, unable to complete her thought.

"What's going on back there?" Lon yelled over the sound of shifting gears and steel rubbing against steel. "Ladies?"

No one answered him. Tessa moved until her back was pressed firmly against the rounded metal, trying to distance herself from Rinoa and Adette with their dead eyes and empty voices.

"Were you bitten?" Rinoa repeated calmly.

"Does it look like it?" Tessa yelled, wishing that the kind Rinoa she'd brushed off were there. "I wasn't bitten, you stupid bitch."

"Good," Rinoa said before lowering her weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, Tessa saw Adette follow suit. The redhead put the pistol back in its holster and buried her dirty face in her filthy hands, tears pouring down her face. She wondered why the world was falling apart around her, literally in addition to personally. "But I don't believe you."

She looked up and saw Rinoa's foot launch itself at her face. It hit her full on, knocking the redhead unconscious. It was a good thing Tessa was knocked out, because she wouldn't want to see what happened next.

---

Tessa awoke to a throbbing head and empty stomach. Her left eye fluttered open, but her right didn't. It was crusted over with dried blood, effectively sealed shut. When she tried to wipe the blood away, she found she couldn't. Both hands were tied behind her back, and her legs were tied together as well.

When she tried to yell for help, Tessa realized that her mouth was taped shut. Angrily, she thought, _They fucking hog-tied me!_

"She's moving!" someone yelled out of her line of sight. Tessa couldn't place the voice, but she discerned it as male. While struggling to get free, the redhead silently vowed revenge.

"Is she alive?" a woman, Rinoa, asked. If she had been to do so, Tessa would have spat in her face.

Two fingers were pressed against her bruised neck and the man said that she was. "Yeah, she's alive, but she's going to be pissed."

"Untire her. If she wee going to, she would have turned by now," Rinoa ordered. The man grabbed one end of the tape on Tessa's mouth and ripped it off. Even though her lips painfully stung, Tessa let loose with a string of obscenities.

"That hurt, you stupid bastard!" Tessa screamed. "If you don't untie me now, you _will_ regret it. Hyne, who the hell tied me up? I'm going to kick some ass!"

Rinoa knelt in front of Tessa and spoke softly as the man cut her bonds. "Calm down. Lon and I, we had to be sure, be safe. You would've done the same thing."

"What in hell makes you think you know what I would've done?" Tessa growled as her hands came loose. She rubbed her sore wrist and scoffed. "You don't fucking know me."

"I have lived at Garden for well over a year, and people talk. It took awhile, but I finally realized who you were. You may be loud and crude, but you're incredibly bright. You know you would have done the same thing."

"Idiot," Tessa muttered, knowing full well that the raven-haired warrior was right. After the blood was scratched from her eye, she opened it and examined her surroundings.

Gone was the giant robot, with its cold metal and grinding movements. Now she found herself in a small room where two walls were covered in maps; one had a large window and a table of electrical equipment shoved against it; and the last had a weak-looking door. Behind her, Lon cut the last piece of rope around Tessa's ankles and quickly backed away. Tessa almost laughed at his fear of retribution.

Through the window, Tessa saw a bright, blue sky with nary a cloud. Under her body, the floor gently rocked back and forth.

"Where are we?" Tessa demanded. She scanned the room and realized that one of her companions was missing. "Where is Adette?"

Rinoa looked at Lon before answering Tessa. The look of absency, the vacant glaze that had covered her eyes in the Residence was gone. It was replaced with something Tessa didn't recognize, something that would've scared her if she had any idea.

"Adette is... on deck."

"So, we're on a boat then?" Tessa asked as she unsteadily stood up. Her legs were wobbly, but she stayed upright. Almost in tandem with the pounding of her head, Tessa's stomach growled for food.

"Obviously," Rinoa said indifferently before brushing past Tessa and standing by Lon. "We're going to sail back to Garden."

"Is it too late to care?" Tessa snapped as she opened the door and stepped onto the deck.

She slammed the door shut and marveled at the size of the ship. It looked to be about thirty metres long and twenty wide. If it had occured to her, she probably would have wondered how they got onto it without being attacked, but it didn't.

Sitting at the end of boat, leaning over a small railing that appeared to be more for show than actual protection, was Adette. With her back to tessa, all the redhead noticed was that she was rocking back and forth. Out of an unrealized sense of concern, Tessa walked to and sat beside the girl.

"Am I being stupid and optimistic," Tessa asked as she dangled her legs over the edge of the boat, "or are we finally safe?"

Adette was muttering and oblivious to what Tessa had said, so the medic leaned in to catch, "... going to kill you."

"Not this shit again," Tessa groaned, remembering Adette's actions on the train ride and, later, in the Residence. "No one is trying to kill me."

The words had no effect on Adette, she just continued to stare into the blue water and talk to herself. In the distance, Tessa heard Lon and Rinoa talking in the room with the radio. She shook her head and looked back to Adette.

She finally noticed that the girl was cradling something and that her shirt had bloodstains all over it, and not the black blood that poured from the Rots, either. This blood was red, human.

"Can I see your hand?" Tessa asked softly. Adette didn't respond, just continued to rock and mutter the same six words over and over.

Tessa carefully reached over and and pulled Adette's left hand out of its protective hold. The fingers extended outward without an utterance of pain, and the medic gasped.

Completely missing from the hand was the middle finger. The glistening of the wound indicated that it was fresh, less than a day old. The odd arrangement of the remaining bone fragments was odd as well and aroused Tessa's suspicion. They were cracked and splintered, far too rough for it to have been done by a knife or teeth. As she let the hand go, Tessa expected foul play had been involved, most likely some form of torture. After all, it had only been a day before when...

_No!_ she thought angrily. _He's dead now; I killed him at the Residence. There's nothing to worry about._

Swallowing a lump in her throat and undoing the top button of the filth-ridden uniform, Tessa struggled to breath as she reminisced about the events that had transpired. How Macone had snuck up from behind and knocked her out, tied her to a chair, and attempted to interrogate her, asking about her involvement with the Umbrella and Shinra corporations.

She had been completely amazed by the wild accusations he had made, including one about the redhead being some sort of spy sent to Galbadia City to try to assassinate the Prime Minister. There were bruises all around her neck from where he had choked her with the cord from a lamp. Unfortunately for him, the lawyer hadn't planned on Tessa wriggling an arm loose from one of her restraints and stabbing him with a letter opener that she had snatched off of a nearby desk. Before he died, Macone succeeded in striking Tessa with a large mirror, but she'd blocked it with her freed hand, cutting it.

As she fingered the bandage on her right hand soaked with blood, her own or someone else's she didn't know, Tessa shook her hair out of her eyes. Remembering where she was and what she was doing, Tessa asked, "what happened?"

"She was going to kill you. She was going to kill you."

Tessa stood up, realizing how futile it would be to press the issue further. It would be better to just clean and dress the wound. The young heroine walked away, leaving her broken companion at the edge of the boat. When she returned to the radio room, there was a heavy silence between Rinoa and Lon. They had obviously been talking about her.

"Is there a first-aid kit in here?"

Rinoa and Lon exchanged a glance very much like the one that had occurred when she asked about Adette. Something was going on that Tessa didn't know about. She didn't like it.

"Well?"

"Under there." Rinoa pointed to the table with the electrical equipment. "Why?"

"It's for Adette," Tessa answered before squatting and looking under the table. She resurfaced seconds later, first-aid kit in hand, and Tessa found herself alone with Lon. The Galbadian soldier was fidgetting, unsure of what to do with his hands.

"Wait!" Lon shouted as Tessa walked to the door. He injected himself between them. "You don't know what happened to your friend, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your friend, Adette, she just snapped back in the X-ATM092. She knocked you out and cut off her own finger."

After thinking for a few seconds, she decided that she didn't buy it. Lon's story didn't make sense, but she played along to find out where he was going. "Okay, do you know why?"

"Umm..." Lon said. When he didn't answer, Tessa elbowed him in the face. Lon grabbed his nose as she ran past him. When she got out on the deck, she dropped her first-aid kit out of shock.

Rinoa stood over Adette and was shoving the younger girl's head down. Adette's neck was on the top of the railing and her face was blue. Yet, she seemed unwilling, or unable, to fight back.

"What the hell are you doing? Get off of her!" Tessa screamed as she charged the sorceress. Before Rinoa could react, they collided and sprawled across the deck. Being in better physical shape than her attacker, Rinoa was the first to get up.

"I thought I could trust you!" Rinoa screamed as she kicked Tessa in the stomach. "I thought we both could get out of this alive, but my father was right about you! You have to die too!"

Tessa had no idea what Rinoa what talking about. What would the Prime Minister of Galbadia know about a SeeD candidate he had never met? Unless it had to do with Macone's suspicions.

"I don't like to fight, much less kill, but this has to be done," Rinoa said as she pointed her right hand at Tessa's head. "A Thundaga spell should be enough to destroy your brain so that you don't come back."

_Come back? But I thought that it took a bite to become a Rot,_ Tessa thought. Too weak to do anything to protect herself, her hunger and injuries finally getting the best of her, Tessa just looked in Rinoa's eyes and silently pleaded.

Then the sound of thunder shook the air and the girl lay dead.


	42. Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

A/N: The first half of this chapter is told by from Tessa's POV, the second (kind of)from Adette's. There's a lot of tears and emotions, not something that (Tessa or) I am good at expressing. Please try to understand our thinking though. The three of us have been through a lot together.

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"You killed her!" Lon said quietly as he walked out to the deck. His nose was swollen and blood trickle from it, but nothing was broken. "Thank you so much."

Lying on the deck, surrounded by a large pool of blood and tissue from where her chest had exploded, was Rinoa Heartilly. Tessa struggled to get up, but her burning muscles refused to cooperate. Lon saw that she was in pain and helped Tessa to her feet. They both stared, not at Rinoa, but at Adette. Clutched in her right hand was a small handgun, the kind that held only one or two bullets. Tessa dimly remembered seeing it in Adette's luggage on the train.

"You two freed me," Lon said happily despite his pain. "She had me under some kind of control. It was like I was there, but my body wouldn't listen to me."

"What the hell have I done?" Tessa asked the cool ocean breeze. "I killed Rinoa Heartilly."

"No, I did," Adette countered in a pained voice. She dropped the gun and it clattered on the wooden deck. "I killed her."

Tessa was completely taken aback. The girl had been completely out of it just minutes before... and now she was stringing complete sentences together! Even though she knew it was possible medically, the odds were still several hundred thousand to one.

"The body, what do we do with the body?" Lon asked after realizing just what had happened. They had killed Rinoa Heartilly, the Sorceress, one of the six that had saved the world from Time Compression.

"Dump it," Tessa spat. She walked to Rinoa's body, with Lon's help, and kicked it roughly. Her foot met the soft flesh again and again until Lon pulled her away out of fear.

"I'll take care of the body," Lon told the two women. "You guys should probably go below deck. There's food and some clothing down there, and you look half-starved. I'll check on you later."

"I don't need to be checked on, I'm not some helpless girl. There's no need for a white knight or some other sexist bullshit like that," Tessa said angrily. She pushed off of Lon and stood for a few seconds before falling to the floor.

"Doesn't look like it," Lon said with a smile as he knelt beside Tessa.

"Leave her alone," Adette said. "I'll help her."

"Yeah, go away," Tessa ordered. Lon looked at her nervously, so she feebly swatted at him. "I said leave!"

Lon stood up and Adette followed suit. They passed each other at Rinoa's body and Adette refused to look at either of them. She knelt down and grabbed Tessa's hand with her good one, still cradling her injured one to her chest.

"Are you okay, Tessa?" Adette asked.

She didn't answer right away, coming to a morbid realization. It was the first time Adette had said her name since the night of the airship crash, the night everyone could have died. It was still unbelievable how she, not under Rinoa's Protect spell, had escaped with little more than a broken leg.

"Tessa?"

"I'm fine," she lied as she held back tears. How long had it been since they were in the Gate and planning on how to get help for Phelan? Was he even alive? Was Xu? She had gathered that Zell was dead, and Adette had just killed Rinoa. The only people left alive, out of three highly capable students, two SeeDs, and a Sorceress, were two girls who spent most of their time fighting: no one would believe what they had done to survive, or even what they had survived!

"Where is everyone?" Adette asked. "Why was Rinoa going to kill you?"

"You don't remember?" Tessa was shocked. How could anyone forget what had happened?

"The last thing I remember is the airship crashing, then seeing Miss Heartilly lying dead and me holding a smoking gun."

They stopped and looked at a door that was practically hidden because it blended in perfectly with the deck, except for a brass handle. Adette reached out with her injured hand and grabbed the handle, holding back a sob as she pulled it up. Tessa felt horrible that she had to rely on an injured girl to take care of her.

"What happened to my hand?" Adette asked as tears slid down her face. Tessa wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, glad that Adette wasn't asking about the others.

"I don't know," she said. "My best guess is that it was ripped off during the escape."

"Ripped off? By what?"

Tessa didn't want to think about what might have happened to Adette, but she knew the girl was expecting an answer. "It must have been caught in the machinery of the... vehicle that got us to the vessel."

They reached the end of the stairs and peered into the darkness. "Tessa, why did I shoot Miss Heartilly?"

Tessa sighed. As much as she hated to say it, the words were oddly suited to the question. "She was going to kill me."

---

"Where is everyone? Where are we?" Adette asked impatiently. Tessa had been dodging her questions for five minutes, even after they had eaten some dried fruit they found in a crate. Luckily, Adette had some Fire spells and they'd managed to find an old oil lamp amongst the cargo. "Would you just tell me already? I'm a big girl, I can take it!"

Tessa blinked back some tears and took a bite of an apple. Feeling vulnerable was not something she wanted to do again, but she did whenever Adette spoke. "If you want to know that badly, I'll tell you."

"I'm waiting."

So, as Adette had requested, Tessa told her everything she could remember: the fight to get to the Gate; leaving an injured Phelan with Xu; the escape through the sewers; finding safety in the Residence; watching as Zell was killed; her torture at the hands of Macone and his subsequent death; the invasion of the Residence by the Rots; killing Lotak and Zhen; the escape on the robot and being knocked out; and she ended with Rinoa's crazed attempts to kill them both.

"And here we are," Tessa concluded, "en route to Garden with a Galbadian soldier and what I can only assume is a stolen vessel."

"What about Tifa Lockhart? What happened to her and that guy, Colt?"

"Holt," Tessa corrected with a sniff. "His name was Holt. As for Tifa, she became a Rot…"

"One of those people you say are dead but walk around and eat each other," Adette interrupt. Scepticism filled her voice, and Tessa couldn't overlook it.

"Yes, they're real! Where else would all of this come from?" Tessa gestured at the bloodstains and dried bodily juices on the soldier's uniform she wore. "How else could I have gotten the uniform?"

"Sorry," Adette replied, drawing out the first syllable.

"Fuck it," Tessa replied darkly. "Where was I?"

"Tifa Lockhart was a Rot," Adette said with no trace of belief in her voice whatsoever.

"Right, Tifa was a Rot," Tessa reminded herself. She grabbed at the collar of her uniform and pulled it from her neck to let some air hit her body. The lamp was causing her to sweat. "I didn't notice until I'd already gotten next to her. You were there, too."

"Of course," Adette agreed smartly with a nod. Tessa was irritated but pressed on.

"Anyway, she was a Rot but, before she could attack me, you shot her. You saved my life."

"Uh huh," Adette replied as she crossed her arms. "What about that guy, Holt? Is he dead too? Let me guess, I shot him too."

"No you didn't," Tessa whispered sadly. "He told me that his wife and son were Rots and that his daughter was in a hotel when the outbreak first happened. He was hoping she was alive, that he'd saved her someday. I told him she was probably dead…"

"Tessa."

"After I killed that lawyer, Macone, he comforted me. I… I led him on… hurt him… acted stupid. He felt foolish and stormed off, leaving me alone with the body. That was when it started raining."

"Tessa?"

"When Rinoa rescued me and blew up the wall so that we could escape, I saw him run by. I ran after him and saved him from a couple of Rots, but I was too late. He'd been bitten. I didn't care, I took him to the hole, but there were already Rots there. I think he knew he was doomed anyway, so he charged them, knocking some out of the way and a couple onto the robot."

"Tessa…"

"I jumped out onto the robot without getting bitten. Holt pushed one of the Rots off, but the other bit him. I pulled out my pistol and aimed, but…"

"Tessa!"

The forcefulness of Adette's voice brought Tessa back to the presence, and she touched her face. It was soaked, tears streaking through the dried blood caked on her skin. She thought that she would have to clean it again.

"Tessa, are you okay?" Adette sounded worried.

"No, I'm not," she told the other girl. It was clear that the memory of Holt falling off the robot still caused her heart to ache. "I shot him, killed him!"

"But you saved him from becoming a Rot," Adette said as she tried to comfort Tessa.

"No I didn't!" Tessa sobbed as fresh tears burst from her eyes. "I wasn't aiming for him, I was aiming for the… the…"

"The Rot?"

"Yes!" Tessa cried. She collapsed against Adette, sobbing and shaking. Snot dribbled down her nose. "I shot Holt in the chest! He grabbed the Rot to try to stay on that damn robot, but they both fell! Now he's out there, one of them."

"It's okay," Adette cooed as she rocked the other teen. She kissed the top of her head and ran her fingers through the greasy hair. It was obvious everything Tessa had told her was true, from beginning to end. No one would commit that much to a lie. "It's going to be okay."

"No it's not," Tessa wailed.

Adette bit her cheek to keep from crying out in pain as she moved her hands to Tessa's faced. She raised it until they were face to face. She wiped the snot away with her sleeve and appraised the redhead in front of her. The acting tough, the assertions of independence, and the chauvinism, they all fell apart at the mention of one man. One man she had known for less than a week. What had happened to the strong Tessa that took command after the shooting on the train? Where was the woman who took care of Zell after the airship crashed? Adette felt a sense of determination to try to bring her back.

"Yes, it will be okay. If not today, then tomorrow. Or next week, next month, next year. Eventually it will be better."

Tessa whimper and tried to move away, but Adette wouldn't let her. _I'm all she has right now._

"Tessa," Adette whispered, "it will be okay. I promise."

"How can you make a promise like that? How can you keep it?"

"I can't, but I can try," the Brunette said sadly. "Won't you at least let me help you?"

"I don't need your help," Tessa said as she tried to pull away. Adette wouldn't let her, and she was too weak and tired to fight. "I don't need anyone's help."

"Everyone needs help, even you."

The small lamp almost illuminated their faces, shadows dancing against their cut and scraped skin made them look far different than they did in the sunlight, but their eyes sparkled. Adette noticed that Tessa's weren't normal, but she didn't care. The poor girl had been through enough torture; she didn't need to be reminded of insignificant flaws.

"No I don't," Tessa protested one last time.

"Please let me help you," Adette bit her lip to stop herself from continuing. Tessa was obviously in pain, emotionally and physically. There was nothing she could say that would make a difference, but there was still something she could do.

Adette leaned in and pressed her lips against Tessa's, lightly at first. When Tessa's lips parted the tiniest bit, Adette's tongue found its way into the foreign mouth. They stayed together like that, stopping when they had to breathe.

Tessa's eyes held more pain than they had at first and Adette finally let her move away. The redhead's voice was shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm not a lesbian."

Adette looked down at her left hand, the pain of the missing finger still biting at her brain. However, it was something she had forgotten in that moment she had kissed Tessa. Covered in blood and almost invisible, you wouldn't have known it was there if you weren't looking for it. On the finger next to the missing middle one was a small band of silver that held half of a sign for the planet Garlia, the sign of femininity. On the finger was a ring given to her by the woman she had promised to marry.


	43. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty-One:

A/N: I didn't have any plans on making Adette and Tessa a couple when I wrote this, but plans can change. (wink. wink.)That's all I'm saying about that. This chapter is about how the girls will relate to each other now that Adette's long-held secret is out, as well as Tessa admitting one of her own. There's also a bit of an overlap with the previous chapter. It's kind of short, though.

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_I can't believe she didn't that!_ Tessa thought, no longer able to look at Adette. She wondered how long the girl how felt that way. _Does she think about me, about having sex with me?_

With a shudder of disgust, Tessa tried to push the thought from her mind. Images of the two rolling around together naked and breasts heaving in the pale moonlight filled her thoughts. She cringed and immediately felt a wave of guilt, self-loathing, and shame. The redhead had always considered herself open-minded.

"I'm sorry, I'm not a lesbian."

She looked up at her companion and saw that she wasn't looking at her, but at the hand missing a finger. Surely, it must have been incredibly painful to sit through the whole story with it, and then the…

_The kiss,_ she told herself. _It was just a kiss._

Then Tessa began to think back on everything that had occurred between them, searching for something that might have led Adette on. _There was always the male bashing, but that's not because I'm a lesbian. Then there was when I comforted her on the train after she shot the woman, the Rot, on the train, but that was just being a good person. If she thought I was being clingy and all lesbian-like on the hill after the airship crash… I was just depressed._

Every possibility that came into her mind was rationalized away, every reason for confusion reasoned with until it was unrecognizable. As much as she hated to admit it, Tessa was scared and clueless

In the Residence, all she had to do was point and shoot; after Holt's death, she mourned; but there was no protocol for being kissed by a girl, no remedy to make everything better. She was lost, confused, and wanted to blame it all on Adette, yet she couldn't. There was something about her: the way they squabbled, the insults they threw at each other, the way Adette would crinkle her nose when Tessa made a fool of herself.

Tessa was the one to finally break the silence. "When I was twelve, I was raped."

"I'm so sorry," Adette uttered. Tessa watched as she looked up from her hand. "He got away with it?"

Tessa smiled sadly and picked at her fingernails. It was five minutes before she answered, but it felt like eternity. "You told me something very private that could get you expelled from Garden, something that shaped you into who you are and who you will be. It only seemed appropriate that I do the same."

"Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

Tessa said nothing, and Adette was left with a puzzled look. She sighed and looked away from Tessa.

"There was… is someone in my life," Adette confessed with a self-hating look."We've been together for two years, she is my world and I would never do anything to hurt her. At least, I never thought I would."

Words weren't enough to express what was going on in either girl's mind, and Tessa wished that she knew what Adette was thinking. As hard as life had been for her at Lotia Garden, she could at least confide in her friends. Did Adette even have friends? She had a girl that no one knew about, that much Tessa knew.

The redhead was almost jealous of Adette. Even with having to keep her life one big secret, she'd found love. Tessa hadn't even been able to do that, move on.

There had been opportunities, most notably Phelan. He had been able to look beyond the cold exterior and find something desirable about her, but she repaid him by leaving him to die in a city full of the walking dead. Then there was Holt; she had even felt something with the man. However, her inability to get over herself probably cost her that relationship, not to mention the fact that she had been unable to free him from an afterlife of mindlessly wandering around trying to eat the living. That probably hurt the most.

"You didn't," Tessa said in a flash of clarity.

"What do you mean?" Adette sounded incredulous, as though the two words Tessa said had been completely insane.

"There's nothing between us. There never was. I was mourning and that's all that happened."

"What are you talking about? I just…"

"That never happened," Tessa said firmly. She hoped Adette would understand what she was trying to get across.

A knowing look crossed Adette's face, showing that she did truly get it. "Thank you."

"What for?" Tessa asked. She grabbed another shrivelled up apple from a nearby burlap sack and bit into it.

"Nothing."

"Here," Tessa said as she took the bird-shaped pin off of her chest. It was Phoenix, her GF, and, amazingly enough, it was devoid of blood. She handed it to Adette, who looked utterly confused. "Keep it. I don't need it anymore."

"Fine, but you take Shiva," Adette said as she removed her GF. "She was given to me by someone special, and I hope you can get more use out of her than I have."

**Hello, nice to meet you.**

"But you already know me," Tessa said.

"Whom are you talking to?" Adette asked as she pinned Phoenix to her chest.

"Didn't you say something?"

"No," the other girl said as she shook her head. "Are you feeling okay?"

**It wasn't Adette. It was I.**

"Who are you?" Tessa asked.

"Oh, now I understand," Adette said with a smirk.

**You don't have to speak aloud; I can hear your thoughts. **

_Fine then, who are you?_

**I'm Shiva, your new GF.**


	44. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty-Two:

A/N: I've noticed that a lot of writers on this site have their SeeDs communicating with the GFs that they're junctioned to, so I figured I'd start doing the same. It's always nice to add new elements to stories, isn't it? Plus, now two ice queens inhabit the same body. Also, words in **bold** are Shiva's. (She'll be hanging around for awhile.) And there will be devlopment between Tessa and Adette. I hope no one was surprised by the (possible) pairing, since I tried to drop hints all over the place.

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"I see you've begun talking to Shiva," Adette said. "I'll just go topside and let you two get to know each other."

**I've been with Adette with for a few months. She's a great girl. I was a birthday present from her girlfriend.**

_Are you THE Shiva, from the Sorceress War?_

**No, I'm a different Shiva. Two GFs, Shivas and Queazacotls, are produced by Gardens for student use. We're quite common. I have met the Ifrit and Leviathan from the Sorceress War, though. They're very interesting.**

_A simple "no" would have done just fine._

**Touchy are we?**

_I just don't like chitchat, takes up too much time. So, unless you have something important to tell me, shut up._

**Wow, no wonder Phoenix never spoke to you.**

_What would you know about that?_

**When a GF is junctioned, it attaches itself to the brain. When it leaves, there are still traces of it left behind. I picked up on those and, while it did care for you, Phoenix was afraid of backlash. Siren was just too snobby to talk to you, though.**

_Siren?_

**From the night the Blonde attacked you. You remember, in the forest.**

_How the hell do you know about that? What kind of shit is this?_

**My, what a mouth you have.**

_It's not my mouth you have to worry about._

**What are you going to do to me?**

_I'll think of something. I can't afford to go without being junctioned, though. You lucked out on that._

**You could always just return me to Adette. She seems to be more pleasant than you anyway.**

_Like hell, I'm doing that. Do you know what would look like if I did that?_

**A loud obnoxious bitch? You wouldn't be the first to junction me.**

_Oh really? Who else have you been junctioned to?_

**That's none of your business. Besides, shouldn't you go get the GFs from Rinoa's body before it's chucked?**

_Good idea, I should go do that. Maybe you're not so useless after all._

**Get going, then. Go on, move it.**

_Shut up already!_

Tessa stood up, the food having already restored some of her strength. The door to the upper deck had been left open and she trudged up the stairs. The smell of the salt in the sea met her nose as she popped her head out of the hull.

Rinoa was still lying on the deck, but the gore surrounding her body was gone. Adette was standing off by the railing, nodding and looking to be in serious thought.

_She's probably talking to Phoenix, the stupid bird._

**Hey, that "stupid bird" saved your life back in Timber.**

_How do you know that?_

**I'm in your head. I can read your memories. That's how I know.**

_So that damn bird is telling Adette all of my secrets? I'll rip it off of her and chuck it in the ocean!_

**That's not likely to happen. GFs usually don't share the thoughts of one host with another.**

_Host?_

**That's the term we GFs use in describing the people junctioning us. Now go get those GFs from Rinoa. There's no sense in letting them get thrown out, you know.**

Tessa leaned over Rinoa's body and fought back the bile that rose in her throat. It wasn't a feeling of disgust or revulsion that caused her reaction, it was an intense hatred that boiled from somewhere dark and foreign. Somewhere Tessa didn't know she had.

_If I junction more than one GF, would there be more voices rattling around inside my head? I can barely take having me in here, much less you._

**I'll make you a deal: junction any more GFs; I'll warn them about you and act as the go-between. How does that sound?**

_No more annoying freaks in there?_

**None that you can hear, that is. It's just you and I.**

_That's two too many. I'll have to learn to live with it, I guess._

**That's all I ask.**

"Shut up," Tessa said loudly. Adette looked at her and grinned.

"How's she treating you?"

**Which one of us is she talking to? Probably me.**

"We're doing fine," Tessa answered, actively ignoring Shiva. "She is quite talkative though. Won't shut her fucking trap."

"Phoenix says hello. He's really funny."

_I didn't know Phoenix was male._

**I could've told you that. All you had to do was ask.**

_Shut up, I'm having a conversation!_

"Tessa, will you do me a favour? I asked Phoenix to do it, but he can't. Seems a GF has to be present for it to work," Adette explained. "But you could ask Shiva something for me?"

"Why don't you just junction Shiva and ask her yourself?" Tessa asked. "I need a break from her already."

**Bite me.**

_If it were possible, I would._

"I want you to know too," Adette said. "Besides, I'm sacred."

**I wish she'd junction me. I never really got to say goodbye.**

_Can the sweetness. The girl is talking._

**You want to talk about sweet, Miss Make-Out-After-A-Murder?**

_You know what? Fuck you! What went on between Holt and I is none of your damn business. I could easily chuck you out into the ocean, leaving you to suffer an eternity alone._

**You wouldn't do that, I mean too much to Adette and she means too much to you.**

_What the hell do you know about Adette and I?_

**I was there when she kissed you. I see your own memories and thoughts about her. It may not be love, but you two have a definite connection. It must be a survivor thing.**

_Just shut up!_

"Tessa, can you hear me?"

"Sorry, Shiva won't shut up."

"Is she the first GF to talk to you?"

"Yeah, and I don't know why. I almost wish she wouldn't."

**Good luck with that.**

"Good luck with that," Adette unwittingly echoed. "It'll take awhile to get used to it, but GFs can become great friends. They can help you remember to do your assignments, help you figure out what decisions to make, or even keep you awake during a boring class."

"You wanted me to ask Shiva something?" Tessa said, ignoring everything that Adette had told her. "Shoot."

"Can you ask her… can you ask her what was going through my mind during those days in Galbadia City? I want to know who I was, what I was."


	45. Chapter 43

Chapter Forty-Three:

A/N: I just wanted to voice a tiny complaint. I love my reviewers, and those who read but don't review. However, I only get one or two reviews per update. I work long and hard on these, even if at times it may not seem like it. So just leave a comment telling me that the latest chapter(s) stunk like a sewer, or if I'm your new fanfiction god. I don't care, it just kind of irks me. Bah, I'll let you read now.

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**She wants me to do what?**

_You heard her,_ Tessa responded. _Now get to remembering._

**No.**

_No? Can you even do that?_

**I don't know, but I don't care. Adette's mind during those days… I'm not going back. Just tell her I can't, tell her that it doesn't work like that.**

_I'm not lying for you/_

"Tessa?"

"Shut up, I'm bartering here."

**Great bedside manner you've got there.**

_Hey, I'm a field medic, not a doctor. I don't have to be nice to all of the people I save. Besides, this isn't bedside anything. We're both standing up._

**You're obviously not the fastest chocobo in the pen, are you?**

_You know what? Fuck you. Your friend asked a question, and you'd better do as she asked._

**No, I'm not reliving that. Tell her I refuse.**

"She won't do it."

Adette's face fell almost immediately. "Why not?"

**It's too painful. It hurts too much.**

"PMS? How in Hyne's name should I know?"

---

After Adette turned away in pained disappointment, Tessa pocketed the pins that were on the dead Sorceress. One was a three-headed dog and the other a large serpent with wing-like fins on either side of its neck. They were obviously the legendary Cerberus and Leviathan from the Sorceress War.

**Why not junction them?**

_You're in my head; you know it won't do any good. Why even ask?_

**Clearly, you don't get the concept of conversation.**

Tessa didn't respond. She knew that she was being rude for absolutely no reason, but she felt a sick sense of entitlement to her current attitude. After all, it had been only one day since…

She had killed three other living, breathing human beings. Heartbeats had stopped, chest ceased to give breath, and electrical currents no longer jumped over synapses. Would anyone even know that it was because of her, a teenager who did nothing more than try to help?

Two, no three, heroes had died before her eyes. Seasoned fighters that had fought armies and giant corporations, monsters and other people, crazed clones and Sorceresses, they all died in her eyes in more ways than one. Another human shot Zell, the first to go, after barely escaping death in the sewers. Tessa regretted treating him as harshly as she had, but quickly pushed him from her mind. Then there was Tifa, the reason Tessa had even taken up martial arts in the first place. She had become a Rot and "died" at Adette's hand. Finally, there was Rinoa, the fallen angel. After saving both Tessa and Adette, she turned around and tried to kill them. Tessa doubted she would ever get over that one, and she knew Adette wouldn't. After all, Adette had been the one to kill Rinoa.

Besides, how many times had she almost died in the past year? Tessa counted them off silently in her head. _There was the cafeteria incident, the forest, the train station, the train, Timber, the airship, entering Galbadia City, running through the sewers, the ladder falling at the Residence, Macone torturing me, the Rot invasion of the Residence, and Rinoa._

Also, there was her screwed-up relationship with Adette. They had fought at first, comforted each other after unbelievable tragedies, saved each other from certain death, and then…

**The kiss.**

_Shut up! I don't want to think about that._

**Why not? I thought that you were tough, afraid of nothing.**

_It… it's not that. There are more important things to worry about is all._

**Hello, I'm living inside your head. You can't fool me.**

_No really, there are_. Tessa thought, hoping to convince herself more than she was Shiva. _Why is Rinoa's body still even here? Lon told us that he would take care of it._

**Yeah, where is soldier boy, anyway?**

"Adette?"

"What is it Tessa?"

"Have you seen Lon? You know, the soldier?"

"No."

"Thanks for your help. I'll be sure to remember that I can count on you in the future."

Adette looked back out at the ocean, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

**There was no need to be sarcastic. You are the cruellest person I've ever been junctioned to, and I've met my fair share of assholes.**

Tessa ignored Shiva and walked to the control room. It had been obvious, after the initial shock wore off, that the table with electrical equipment was some kind of radio or steering system.

The door was open slightly and Tessa saw the first-aid kit lying by the door with its contents spilling out. As she swept the bandages and medicines into the plastic case, she made a mental note to treat Adette's hand. Suddenly she felt bad for how she had treated her.

**See, you do care!**

_Hyne, do you ever shut up? If you were human, I would've beaten the crap out of you by now._

She swung the door open to find a most repulsive sight. Lon sat in one corner of the room with his head held down and a small gun in his lap. The bad news: the complete back of his skull was splattered onto the wall behind him. The surprise: the gun was the same Adette had used to kill Tessa.

**This is bad.**

_For once, I have to say your right. He was the one who knew how to steer the damn vessel. Now we're all royally fucked._

**I meant the fact that he was dead, but you're thinking of surviving. Maybe being a heartless bitch isn't such a bad thing after all.**

_Help me figure out what to do. That's what GFs are for, right? They serve their hosts?_

**We don't serve anyone. We help them. I am more than just some voice in your head, you know.**

_I've got it!_

**Are you even listening to me?**

_We dump both bodies, turn on the radio, and wait for someone to pick us up._

**That's your plan? Throw two bodies in the ocean and wait to be rescued?**

_Do you have a better idea?_

---

First one body splashed into the blue-green of the ocean, and the other soon followed. Tessa wiped her sweaty brow as the man and woman that had saved her life sunk beneath the murky depths. It stung momentarily, aching deep within her heart. Then she remembered what Rinoa had done and spat on the water, forever sealing their fates.

Wafting to her nose was a smell of human decay, and for one panic-filled moment, Tessa thought that a Rot had somehow gotten onto the boat. Her muscles tensed and she strained her ears, searching for a sound other than Adette's gentle sobs and the soft whistling of the wind. Nothing. Soon she realized that the smell was her own, coming from her clothes. The uniform still had blood and blood and only Hyne knew what else was on it.

Tessa grabbed the woman-shaped pin on her shirt. For a few seconds she held it in her hands, unsure of what to do. Then she clipped it to the collar that was still around her neck. The shiny piece of metal hung next to the half-heart pendant. It was the only thing left of her third life, before everything changed.

The first life was one that she couldn't remember, the one with her parents. Next came the time at Lotia Garden, up until the rape. That life had been shattered beyond repair. Following that was her four years of hatred, running on little more than anger and ego. She cared about nothing but her future, her career. Everything revolved around being the best: in medicine, in martial arts. She had gone from mediocre to tied for first in her year. She shared her title with Hunter, even though he had come to Lotia Garden a few months after her.

Indeed, even though it was hard to tell from the outside, there was a subtle change, a new Antessence Matleo. As corny as it sounded, it was true. She was still fuelled by her anger and ego, but there was another ingredient. Fear.

She reached into the pockets of the military uniform and pulled out the contents. In her left hand were the two GFs she had "liberated" from Rinoa's body, the right held a single clip of bullets for her pistol. The pistol was gone, though. Tessa hadn't seen it since Galbadia City. Her assumption was that it had been taken from her after she lost consciousness.

_My father was right about you!_ The words rattled around in Tessa's head. Rinoa had yelled them moments before she died, leaving behind no explanation. _You and Squall!_

If Rinoa's actions hadn't been bad enough, Lon had gone and killed himself. However, as Tessa noticed before she tossed Rinoa's body overboard, Rinoa had been shot in the head.

_It doesn't make sense. Why shoot someone if they're already dead?_

**Maybe she wasn't dead. She could've faked it.**

_That's plausible, but it's impossible to know just what a Sorceress is capable of._

**There's a simple way to find out.**

_Oh really, what's that?_

**Junction the GFs in your hand. They can tell you what was going on.**

_I said that you were it, and I meant that._

**So you would rather live without knowing?**

_She's got it, give the girl a cookie and shut her up._


	46. Chapter 44

Chapter Forty-Four:

A/N: Sorry the chapters have been so short lately, I haven't had much opportunity to write. If you search the bestiaries of every FF game, you won't find a find an Octisquid. It's a monster I just created. I felt that there needs to be more interaction with monsters anyway, since they play a large part of every game.

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"I think we're good. It looks like Lon took care of us before he took care of himself," Adette said calmly. Tessa feared that she might be rubbing off as the Brunette showed her the electronic equipment. "If I remember anything my roommate said, then this is some sort of auto-pilot system that operates off of Esthar's satellites. We're on a course for Garden. Balamb Garden."

"What in Hyne's name does your roommate have to do with this?"

"She is a Level 5 hacker. Her job is to know this kind of stuff. I got help with my exams; she got help with hers. People do things like that for each other."

"Do I look like an idiot to you?" Tessa asked angrily. "Aili and I helped each other study for tests all the time."

"Aili?"

"My best friend."

"You're only friend?"

"Why don't you ask your stupid bird? The damn thing ought to know. It spent enough time spying on me."

Tessa didn't want to talk about Aili. She hadn't left on the best of terms with her, but they were still friends. Talking about her without giving the girl the opportunity to defend herself was something Tessa had sworn she would never do. It had happened too much at Lotia Garden for her tastes.

**So you're loyal, that's a good thing to have in a friend.**

_Not now, Shiva. I'm having a conversation, in case you haven't noticed._

"Hey, if my calculations are correct, we're halfway to Balamb."

"How would you know that?"

"If we estimate that you were out for 3 hours, and it took 2 to get out of Galbadia City, then we've been on the water for 18 hours. From the direct distance of the new Galbadian City Marina built last year to Balamb's docks, we have approximately 1100 kilometres. The speedometer says that we're moving 65 kilometres per hour. If we're moving at a steady pace…"

Tessa grunted out of frustration. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I already said, we're halfway to Balamb. Add the twelve kilometres between Balamb and Balamb Garden, and we're practically home!"

"Whoop-di-frickin'-doo," Tessa said with a hand-twirl. "How do you know all of that?"

"I'm a sharpshooter, I have to know my math."

"Some sharpshooter," Tessa snorted. "Every time you shoot someone you freak out."

"So says the killer nurse."

Fire jumped into Tessa's eyes. "Do you really want to mess with me?"

"I've seen the kind of stuff you can do, I'm not stupid."

"Smart girl, very smart girl."

**What is your problem?**

_Do you think I'm proud that I'm a killer? Let me tell you, I'm not. I hate that I've killed so many people. Do you realize that I haven't managed to save even one life in all of the years that I've been training in medicine?_

**What about Adette?**

"She doesn't count."

"Who doesn't count?" Adette asked. She was holding her left hand with her right and wincing in pain. Even after Tessa had bandaged and cleaned it, the wound still seemed to be causing her a lot of pain. She stared at it for minutes straight before sticking her hand in her pocket.

They had changed and thrown their old clothes into the ocean. Tessa had watched the military uniform until it fell out of sight. Left in the right pocket was the clip of bullets. Pinned to the inside of her new shirt, pressing against her breasts, were the two GFs Leviathan and Cerberus. Something had told her not to throw them out. However, before she had done it, Tessa informed Shiva that she wanted no communication with them whatsoever. It seemed to have worked, because she didn't hear a word from either of them.

Adette was wearing a silken blouse and black leather skirt. The word that popped into Tessa's mind was "lipstick-lesbian." On the other hand, in a stroke of luck, Tessa had found a loose-fitting flannel shirt and brown jeans in a crate. Even more miraculous, she had found in the crate a copy of the book she had lost in Galbadia City.

"You," Tessa finally answered as she walked out of the radio/control room. "You don't matter."

She didn't see the crushed look on the other girl's face.

_---_

The setting sun was beautiful as it fell below the sea, streaking the sky with various hues of red, pink, and orange. A few stars had begun to appear in the darker spots and the moon shone dimly overhead. It was only a half moon, but it was the sunset that had captivated Tessa. Classmates that had been students at Galbadia Garden before it was taken over by the Sorceress Edea had told her of how beautiful the sunsets and sunrises were, but she hadn't believed them. She had known the best sunset was to be viewed from a particularly large conifer tree in the Student Square of Lotia Garden, which similar to Balamb Garden's Quad. She had been wrong.

If the darkening skyline of Galbadia City was even half as beautiful as what she was seeing in that one moment, then it eclipsed anything she had seen in her homeland. _Aili would die to see this,_ Tessa thought.

**I didn't know that you appreciated nature.**

_Not now, Shiva. Can't I enjoy myself for even one minute? Must I constantly live in a hellish cesspool of agony and stupidity?_

**Sure, go ahead. I'll just crawl back under my rock.**

_Great, now my GF is using sarcasm. Well, you'll be glad to know that you ruined the moment. Thanks a lot, Bitch._

Suddenly, Tessa's feet flew out from under her and she crashed to the deck. Her wounds, freshly cleaned and bandaged, began to ache again. She rolled onto her stomach and looked around before slowly standing back up.

"Could you steer a little better? Knocking me onto my ass isn't the best sign of confidence!" Tessa yelled at the closed door that Adette was behind, her voice was soaked with annoyance. Adette didn't respond, obviously taking the high road. The engine burst into a sputtering fit before giving out unexpectedtly, and Tessa was upset. Gone was the fleeting tranquility the sunset had granted her. "Would you quit fucking up? I want to go home, you stupid _tocaro_!"

The word was out of her mouth before she had even realized what she said. She hoped that Adette didn't speak Junonian. Otherwise, there was likely to be a fight and she didn't know how many spells the Brunette had left. All Tessa had was 2 Blind spells and a dozen Scans. Again, nothing from Adette.

**You bitch...**

_Bite me. So I called her a _tocaro. _It's not the end of the world._

**Adette may not know what a _tocaro_ is, but I do. I can read your thoughts, remember?**

Then, with a great shudder, the vessel rocked roughly and knocked Tessa back onto her butt. She slapped the wood in frustration and stood up again, marching to the closed door. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I'm not doing anything. It just stopped," Adette said as her fingers flew over the switches and buttons before her.

"Well fix it!"

"I'm trying."

"Then try harder!" Tessa screamed before slamming the door.

The vessel groaned again and Tessa ran to the railing. She looked over the edge curiously and screamed. Three large yellow eyes stared back at her. A large grey tentacle shot out of the water and grabbed Tessa, lifting her off of the vessel.

"Let me go!" Tessa yelled as she clawed the rubbery tentacle, but the creature didn't seem to notice. Her left hand found its way over the edge of the tentacle and she cast a Blind spell, hitting one of the eyes. The tentacle released Tessa, who fell back onto the vessel's deck. It was an eight foot fall and she heard something crack.

She grabbed her ankle and yelled in pain as she heard the creaking of Adette walking onto the deck. "What's going on?"

"Monster!" Tessa cried as hot tears spilled down her face. "There's a fucking monster!"

"Where?"

"In the water, you dumbass. Where else would a monster be?"

As if in response to Tessa's question, there was a noise very similar to an explosion and in the view of the two girls appeared a creature larger than even a T-Rexaur. Tessa didn't recognize it, but that didn't mean she wasn't frightened, not to mention in pain.

**Draw! This is Octisquid! It has Curaga and Water spells, among other things...**

_Octisquid! What kind of a name is that?_

**This is an incredibly powerful monster, right up there with T-Rexaurs and Ruby Dragons. You had better be careful.**

Tessa threw up her left and right hands, drawing 1 Curaga into her left and 8 Waters into her right. She cast the Curaga on herself, feeling a slight numbness in her ankle as bones realined and tendons reattached.

**Summon one of us, you can't take this thing on your own.**

_If you're in my head and can read my thoughts, then you know just how wrong you are. Now shut up and watch._

Boots that were covered with blood (Tessa had kept the boots from the military uniform since there weren't any shoes to be found in the crates in the cargo hold) slapped the floor as Tessa threw up her right hand and launched a Water spell. It hit the Octisquid in the face, washing the Blind spell from its eye. While it could have damaged the Octisquid, it actually did little more than a Bite Bug's sting.

_Maybe I should someone one of you._

**Smart girl.**

_Don't patronize me, just tell me which one of you I should someone!_

There was a burst of light and Phoenix was flapping through the air, dive-bombing the Octisquid with its beak while Adette hit it with Thundara spells. Tessa dropped to the deck and rolled as a tentacle slammed where she had been just seconds before.

**Leviathan! Summon Leviathan!**

Tessa reached into her shirt and slapped the first pin she felt. A bright light filled her vision and when it faded something else, something large, took up the space.

"Give me a break!"

Cerberus, the three-headed dog, perched on the edge of the vessel and growled at the Octisquid. Amazingly enough, the vessel seemed completely undisturbed by the GF's weight. Tessa hit the deck with her clenched right fist and cursed herself.

"Cast triple on Adette!" she shouted at the behemoth. One of the heads turned back and looked at her with sad eyes before joining its brothers. They all howled and bathed Adette in a silver light. Then Cerberus disappeared and left the two girls and Phoenix to fight.

Adette seemed filled with vigor to Tessa, who felt the snapping of the bones in her legs as the Octisquid smacked her with another tentacle. She screamed and watched as blood ran down her legs and pooled around her in an ever widening puddle.

_Why didn't I get Leviathan?_ Tessa thought before a tentacle smashed into her face and her world went cold and black.


	47. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty-Five:

A/N: Obviously Tessa didn't die, the main character's not supposed to! At least, not until the end. (hint. hint.) No, she survived, as did Adette. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

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The vessel whirred into the docks of Balamb as the sun began to rise. Tessa found it odd that the only one at the marina was hers, though. She stretched out her legs, feeling the muscles tighten. Even without the proper training, Adette had done a good job of casting a Curaga she had drawn from the Octisquid. It made the redhead incredibly jealous and she refused to talk to her companion afterward.

After Tessa had awoken, Adette told her what had happened. The dark-haired girl radiated confidence, and not even Tessa's sarcastic comments could burst her bubble. But when they did finally reach Balamb, the odd silence chilled them both.

Balamb was a busy little port town, rising to international prominence after the Sorceress War ended. Its main export was silk, which was strung together out of the web of the local Catcherpillars. The wealthy coveted it, and the prices were so high that only they could afford it. In fact, it was Balamb silk that Adette was wearing. But in spite of its success, Balamb still remained a small town and kept its laid back, prewar atmosphere.

_Where is everyone?_

**Maybe it's a holiday and everything is closed.**

Tessa shook her head, doubting the GFs words. Adette had left the door to the control room open as she guided the vessel up to the loading and unloading dock, and Tessa could see that she was sweating. Neither girl knew how to pilot a vessel, much less line it up perfectly so that they could get off.

The sound of metal scraping metal met Tessa's ears and the vessel jerked, almost throwing her over the edge. In fact, she would have if it hadn't been for the fact that her hands were heavily gripped to the railing.

"Sorry!" Adette called nervously as she killed the engine.

In the wind, Tessa heard whispers of caution. Not literally, but something in the breeze made her skin crawl. Her red eyes scanned the marina, but there was absolutely nothing, not even children playing or old men fishing. She shivered and tried to tell herself that she was just being paranoid. However, earlier events reminded her that being paranoid probably wasn't the worst thing to be.

"We're home!" Adette gushed as she ran out of the control and launched herself at Tessa, who ducked the hug. The last thing Tessa wanted was to embrace Adette.

"Maybe your home," Tessa muttered. Memories of Lotia Garden flooded her mind.

**Pretty place. Maybe you can take me there sometime.**

Tessa ignored Shiva and licked her lips. Red strands of hair flew into her eyes and Tessa brushed them away. Something was definitely wrong.

"When I get back to Garden, I'm _so_ taking a nap. Hyne, I miss my bed. Do you think we passed our SeeD exam?"

It took everything Tessa had to keep from bursting out in laughter. During the whole Galbadia City incident, and the events that followed, the fact that she had been on her exam had completely left her mind. The SeeD overseeing the exam was dead, a fellow SeeD candidate was dead as well. Then there was Zell and Rinoa, who were also dead. Would anyone even believe their story? Probably not. Most likely, they would become laughing stocks and expelled. There was no way to believe that the dead were coming unless one had seen in for him/herself.

"You stay here with the vessel," Tessa ordered as she flung one leg over the railing. With the way Adette had "parked" it, the disembarking point had lodged itself into the railing, between two of the long metal bars that ran along it horizontally.

"Why should I?" Adette asked indignantly. Clearly she didn't like to be bossed around, especially by someone who have proven to be completely useless during the fight with the Octisquid.

"I just have a hunch is all," Tessa said as she swung her other leg over and stood on the strip of metal that was anchored to the concrete of the marina. "Would you do me that one favour?"

"Fine," Adette sighed. It was obvious to the medic that while she would obey, the sharpshooter thought that the request was absolutely ridiculous. She reached into her pocket and produced a small ring, which she held out to Tessa. "Could you give this to her for me? I at least want her to know I'm alive."

"Who is she?" Tessa asked as she took the ring and stuck it on her own left ring finger for safekeeping. "Why the hell do I have to do this?"

**You have no experience with romace, do you?**

"You'll know her when you see her," Adette said mysteriously. "She'll know what the ring means."

_Romance?_ Tessa thought over Shiva's words. _What the hell do I need to know about romance for? The last thing is I need is some man dragging me down with him. Fuck romance._

However, Shiva had a clever response. **Who said anything about a man?**

"Why the fuck not?" Tessa grumbled to Adette, ignoring Shiva as she turn around and walked to the marina. She jumped down and the thud of her boots meeting the concrete was extremly loud, echoing in the otherwise absolute silence.

---

Her boots clicked as she walked through the eerily silent streets of Balamb. Every so often she would hear a small sound, a sob or groan, but she didn't call out. The scene was oddly similar to when her group had first walked into Galbadia City. As she rounded a corner, she saw another sight that she hoped she never would again.

Bent over a woman in a yellow sundress was a little boy, the one that had kicked Zell... when had that been? Tessa couldn't remember. Time had become insignificant to her in the struggle for survival. For a brief moment, she wondered if it was even the sun peeking out over the distant ocean. Anyway, the boy was bent over a woman and making chewing noises, a sound that made Tessa want to scream _and_ gag.

Then it happened, a hand reached out and grabbed Tessa's shoulder. Had it been the day before, when she was too weak from hunger and shock to do anything, she probably would've died then. However, it wasn't, and she didn't. Instead, the warrior drove her elbow back, relishing the sound of cracking ribs, and then spun around. She thrust her other hand, palm open, into the person's nose and heard the cartilage get shoved into the brain. The person fell to the ground and Tessa saw that it wasn't a person at all, it was a Rot.

It was, or had been, a woman in her early twenties, maybe five years or so older than Tessa. Her hair was long and blonde, with curls at the ends. She was wearing a torn and stained red dress, obviously something she had treasured. Now she was truly dead, no longer the bastardized version of "life" that she had been.

Tessa heard the scraping of something on concrete and knew, though whether it was ESP or memory, that a Rot was approaching her. Blood boiled in her veins and she whirled around to meet the danger, her right hand held out with fingers stretched outward. She had a few Water spells left from where she had drawn from the Octisquid, but it clearly wasn't enough to deal with the threat before her. Shiva agreed.

**I don't think it'll work. Do you want to try running?**

"Aww, fuck!" Tessa yelled as she turned and ran, a half a dozen Rots shuffling behind. She turned a corner and nearly vomited. Impaled on a streetlamp outside of a Junk Shop was a Rot, a heavyset woman with a kerchief tied around her head. The undead creature was still thrashing about as its organs spilled out, forming a small pyramid of gore. Tessa was sure she recognized the spleen before she remembered she was being chased and took off. The Rots were in hot pursuit.

_It's probably not the best time to ask this, but is Adette a lesbian?_

Shiva didn't answer right away, and Tessa was growing tired. Fatigue bit at her legs and arms as the muscles continued to expand and contract to keep her moving. Even though she was breathing heavily, Tessa's lungs burned with lack of oxygen. Her forehad was drenched with sweat, which stung as it fell into her eyes and cuts on her face.

A vehicle with an open passenger door sat in front of the big gateway entrance to Balamb. Tessa cursed her bad luck, but it wasn't all that surprising. After all, there was a rental agency by the entrance, which would explain the vehicle. She suddenly had a case of deja vu, her mind flashing back to that first night in Galbadia City.

_No, this is different, I know what's going on._

**No you don't. You're still clueless.**

"Shut up!" Tessa screamed as she dove into the vehicle and slammed the door shut. Seconds later, the Rots ran into it and nearly tipped it over. Frantically, she searched the vehicle for the keys before spying them in the ignition. Her red eyes scanned the fuel tank, which read that it was half full. Consideration of prayer came to her via Shiva, but Tessa pushed the thought away. She had gotten this far without a diety, she didn't need one now.

"Come on, come on," she begged the vehicle as she turned the key. Never before had Tessa driven, but the need to survive was strong in her and she decided that, inexperience or not, driving was her only means of escape. It squealed, but the engine started putting. Inwardly, Tessa celebrated.

There was no time for outward congratulations, though, as a Rot broke through the passenger window. Tessa screamed and kicked at it, the driver's side door handle digging into the small of her back as she twisted in her seat. She looked around the vehicle, searching for a weapon. In the passenger side floorboard was an ice scraper for the window, why there was one in Balamb, she didn't know. It never snowed in Balamb, or so she had been led to believe.

"Fuck you!" she screamed at the dead man trying to get to her. Their eyes met and it stopped thrashing about, long enough for Tessa to dive to the floor and grab the scraper. When she reemerged, she brought the scraper into the Rot's jaw, snapping the bone and decayed tendond. The lower half of the creature's mouth fell to the floor. Then she stabbed again, thrusting through the rotted hard pallet of the roof of its mouth and into the brain. Tessa twisted the scraper and the Rot stopped moving as grey matter fell onto the passenger eat.

Not even stopping this time, Tessa twisted back in hr seat and grabbed the steering wheel. Her foot pressed down on the accelerator, and the vehicle sped away. The Rot was still hanging in the window until, with her bad driving, Tessa slammed into the brick wall of the gateway. The lower half of the body exploded into pulpy gore, and the upper half fell into the vehicle. Broken teeth hit her lap and she shuddered as she pushed them into the floorboard.

**We need to get to Garden, get help for Adette. I can't believe those things are in Balamb, too.**

_You're telling me. That was too close for comfort.What the hell is going on in this half of the world? We never had anything like this in Junon._

**That's not what your friend Alex said.**

Tessa's blood boiled as she sped down the road, leaving the Rots behind. Shiva had no right to talk about Alex. Off in the horizon, she could see the layout of Balamb Garden. She was safe, the SeeDs would take care of her and rescue Adette. If only she knew the truth...


	48. Chapter 46

Chapter Forty-Six:

A/N: Finally, the return to Garden. Tessa thinks she has finally found somewhere safe, but anyone who read the chapter "Hunter's Eyes" knows otherwise. I'm not going to give anything away, but no more of the heroes from the game (including the Disciplinary Committee) has died. Yet. I've already killed off two of the most popular characters in Final Fantasy history (Zell and Tifa), and the equally unpopular Rinoa, so what am I not capable of? Seriously, read any SquallxZell or SquallxSeifer yaoi fic, those guys _really_ hate Rinoa.

Come to think of it, with Beyond Love and Gore, You're Wonderful, and this fic, I seem to have an obsession with lesbians, which is weird since I'm not a heterosexual male. Meh, go figure.

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The vehicle was put into park and the engine killed. Boots hit cement as Tessa climbed out and looked around. Balamb Garden wasn't warm and welcoming like she had expected. It was cold and quiet, like no one was left there. She shivered.

Her eyes scanned the vehicle for damage, taking note of the broken window and lack of a back bumper. The bumper had been torn off when she momentarily lost control and slammed into a tree. The wreck had also left a large dent that wouldn't allow the passenger door to open, which sucked since the car was only a two-seater to begin with.

While she had been driving, and was satisfied with the distance between herself and Balamb, Tessa had stopped the car and pushed the dead torso out of the car and onto the road. It didn't even bother her anymore, the stench of death. Living in a city full of it had been one thing, but running from it to save her own life was another. Something had changed Tessa, the fear was gone. No, no the fear of death, but the fear of the dead. She could deal with the dead now, as long as they weren't chasing her around.

Out of the corner of her eyes Tessa saw movement, but when she adjusted her gaze there was nothing. She continued on her way, the large building looming high overhead. On the way, she saw the communal Cure drawpoint. She reached out a hand and drew the Magic, collecting thirteen spells.

Her skin prickled and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. When Macone had tortured her, Tessa had lost the long red hair that hung around her shoulders. He cut it similar to a bowl cut, except for the bangs he left behind. He said that her kind shouldn't have long hair, but she hadn't known what he had meant. She still didn't. As her thoughts wandered back to the present, Tessa tucked those surviving bangs behind her ears. The past was the past, and that was all it ever would be. There was no need for her to dwell on what had already happened, no need to "get over it" as so many psychologists had tried to help her do. It was over, done, forget about it and move on. Already, the pain of losing Holt was gone. In fact, she hadn't thought once about him since the kiss.

The ring on Tessa's finger caught the sun, and the once-lustrous silver still held a bit of a gleam. Yes, Adette was a lesbian with a partner, the ring was clear in that. But Tessa wasn't, she was straight and alone. If that were true, then why did she want to throw the ring as far away as she could?

**Because you love her. Rinoa knew it when she took Squall's ring Griever, and he knew it when he handed it over to Zell for her. Neither of them wanted to admit it, though.**

_Are you ever going to just let me stew in my thoughts? Must you always interfere?_

**I was there for them, and I'm here for you. You wondered why you cared so much when Xu wanted you to leave Adette in the Gate back in Galbadia City, and I can tell you why. Even though you hadn't realized it yet, you loved her. She was the only one you comforted after the train incident, even though Phelan was the one that had almost died. She was the one that went to see if you were okay after you saved Zell's life, when everyone else was freaked out by your irrational behaviour. Both of you knew that there was something there, but you didn't know what. Now that you do, you both want to run away from it. You can see it in Adette's eyes, and I can read it in your thoughts.**

_What do you know about love? You were manufactured in a laboratory somewhere, you told me yourself. I'm not a lesbian, everyone just thinks so because I'm not some weakling that puts up shit from men. Is independence only something that a lesbian can obtain? No, it's not._

**I lied.**

_What do you mean?_

Shiva didn't answer.

Tessa saw that the old man behind the counter at the entrance to Garden was gone, but it was okay since she didn't have her keycard. Breaking protocol, the medic jumped over the small gate and landed on the linoleum of the Garden's entrance with a thud. Oddly enough, the lobby was empty with the exception of a single girl at the directory. Yet, even from a distance, Tessa could make out the profile of her best friend. She ran, not caring if people thought she was being a normal girly-girl.

"Aili!" she screamed at the top of her voice, opening her arms for an embrace and catching the other girl's attention. When Aili turned to look at Tessa though, the redhead stopped and stared with her mouth hanging open.

In one moment, all of Tessa's hopes had vanished. In the excitement of seeing her best friend, Tessa had ignored her surroundings. Now the blood splattered floor and walls rushed at her, the smell of blood, death, and decay assaulting her nose. The most offensive thing, though, was the appearance of Tessa's best, and only, friend at Balamb Garden.

With an ear hanging by a small sliver of skin, one eye torn out, and an empty chest cavity, Aili was obviously dead. Aili was a Rot. Fighting a scream, Tessa cried for her friend. She turned and ran, hearing her friend moan despite a ripped out throat. Soon others joined Aili, an unearthly chorus trailing after the sole living being.

She vaulted over the gate at the Garden's entrance, tears blurring her vision, and fell to the ground, scraping her palms. When she pushed herself up, Tessa left bloody handprints on the cement. Her stolen vehicle had become overrun by Rots, fifteen to twenty surrounding it as they wandered around dumbly. With nowhere else to go, the emotionally crippled young woman ran past the security shack to the administration building. Perhaps she could hide in there until help came, if help ever came.

When she reached it, Tessa found that the door was locked. She pounded on it, openly sobbing as she knew death was upon her. It didn't open, so she ran around the entire perimeter looking for an entrance and finding none. Meanwhile, the Rots had locked onto her and were approaching the administration building from all sides, cutting off any escape. The door came back into view and Tessa launched herself at it again, pounding and yelling for help. Suddenly, the door opened and Tessa fell inside. Calloused hands grabbed and pulled her the rest of the way inside as the door was closed again.

"Thank..." Tessa said looking up, but she didn't get to finish her sentence because a woman screamed and something hit her in the back of the head. She fell forward to the floor and her body was soon overwhelmed with waves of pain. Something sharp hit her in the back, puncturing a lung and emptying her of all breath. Another object smashed her in the back of the head.

"Stop it! Stop it!" a woman with a familiar voice shouted. The attackers backed away, leaving Tessa curled up in a ball and struggling to breathe. A pair of hands picked her up and held her close as the girl continued to cry. "They can't talk, you idiots!"

"But she had those red eyes," someone, a man, whined.

That was when a voice, one that permeated through Tessa's pain and into her brain, spoke up. "She has always had them, since we were young children. I suspect she hid them to prevent this sort of occurrence."

_Great, Hunter's still alive,_ Tessa thought bitterly before coughing up blood.

---

As it turns out, the person who had rescued Tessa was Quistis Trepe, her Introduction to Basic Black Magic Instructor. After casting a Curaga on the medic, Quistis had proceeded to chew out the fellow survivors. Only a handful of people, maybe twenty, had made it into the Administration building. Among them were the four remaining heroes of the Sorceress War and the three security personnel, formerly of the Disciplinary Committee. The headmaster and Dr. Kadowaki were not there.

"...and if you ever do something that stupid again, I'll throw you out there to be eaten alive!" Quistis yelled.

"Instructor," Tessa said quietly, silencing the rest of the waiting area. "What happened here?"

**Isn't it obvious? The same thing as Galbadia city.**

"I'm not entirely sure," Quistis said. "It started a few days ago when Mr. Calvin Regire, a resident SeeD, was attacked at the train station. It seems some sort of monster had crawled through the train's tunnel," at this Tessa swallowed nervously, remembering how she had thrown Johnny off the train, "and it didn't die until Calvin cut its head off with his axe. Shortly afterward, he became ill. He got really bad, students were treating him since Dr. Kadowaki was out of town, and bit a couple of them. They had to strap him down. Within days, we ended up here with people attacking each other. We think Calvin's illness was involved."

"You're perfectly right," Tessa said, ignoring Shiva. "The same thing happened to us in Galbadia City. The Rots attacked the second we stepped into the city, and we couldn't get out. That's why it took so long to get back."

"Where is everyone else?" a man with a Galbadian accent asked. Tessa looked around until she spied Irvine Kinneas looking at her from under the brim of his cowboy hat. Resting on the floor beside him was a shotgun.

"They're dead," Tessa said. Most people probably would've hung their heads as they spoke those two words, but she didn't. She had made her peace with it.

"ALL?" someone shouted. It was Fujin, the girl with the eye patch. Something made Tessa immediately dislike her.

"No," Tessa said. "there's a vessel in the harbour. On it is a student named Adette Berna. Other than that, they're gone."

A flicker of relief crossed Fujin's face before it became completely void of emotions. It was as plain as day that she was Adette's "significant other."

**Jealous are we?**

"So Zell and Rinoa are..." Selphie, the perky bitch who had attacked Tessa on her first day at Garden, looked as though she were about to cry. "But how? They're such experienced fighters."

"Zell was killed by some bigwig at Caraway's Mansion."

"No!" Selphie wailed. Flinging herself across the room, she buried her face into Irvine's chest. He awkwardly put his arms around her and shot Quistis a glance. Tessa thought that she was being a drama queen.

"And Rinoa?"

The dominating presence of Squall Leonhart made itself known. With his gunblade in hand, he stepped over to Tessa and motioned for Quistis to move.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tessa asked. "I told you that she was dead, what more do you need?"

"How she died would be a start," Squall said, keeping his voice in check and his face still.

"A... a Galbadian soldier shot her," Tessa said, careful not to mention Adette. "I..."

Quistis saw how much trouble Tessa was having, but she thought it was because the girl was being emotional and not because she couldn't think of a good lie. "I think you should back off, Squall. The girl did just get here, after all."

"..." was his response as he skulked away.

**That was close.**

_Shut up, Shiva. Now is not the time for me to deal with your crap._

**I have a plan.**

_This should be interesting._


	49. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty-Seven:

A/N: I know, I know. I chickened out and made Fujin Adette's girlfriend instead of coming out of left field with something like Selphie or Dr. Kadowaki. Sue me. Words between these indicate Junonian. Mostly because I'm too lazy to actually go and create another language. (Seriously, the sewer scene was a complete pain to write.)

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Shiva's plan consisted of handing the other two GFs (Leviathan and Cerberus) over to Quistis so that she could get the full story from them. Simple, short, and no violence whatsoever. It almost disappointed Tessa. She took the ring off, but couldn't see Fujin.

_I hate you. Would you just tell me who I'm supposed to give this ring to?_

There was no answer from the GF, so Tessa merely thrust the silver band back on her finger.

Irvine was staring at her. When she gave him the one-finger salute, the cowboy merely smiled and tipped his hat. All Tessa wanted to do was take the hat and shove it down his throat so that he would choke to death. It appeared that Selphie had the same idea, only Irvine wasn't her victim. The object of her immediate hatred was a woman in her twenties who wore a white dress and magenta shawl. She also waved her arms around quite a bit.

#I'm surprised to find you still alive, Antessence,# a tanned youth drawled in Junonian as he sat beside the angry young woman. The scratching outside the building seemed to have no effect on him. #I trust you're doing well?#

#Doing well?# Tessa scoffed. #Hunter, look at me. I'm missing part of my fucking nose! So stop flirting and think of a way out of here before I kill you myself.#

"What are you two saying?" Quistis asked as she joined the two students. On her chest were two pins that hadn't been there when Tessa arrived at Garden. "Have you figured something out?"

"Well, Instructor Trepe, I have an idea. It does not involve escape, though," Hunter said with a wink. Quistis blew off his flirting and turned to Tessa hopefully.

"Miss Matleo, you do have much more experience with these things than anyone else. Perhaps you know something."

**Do you want to disappoint her, or should I?**

"Well, Instructor, there are a few things I've considered. It's all speculation, though," Tessa admitted. Quistis said that it was better than being in the dark, so the student continued. "These things don't attack each other, just the living and recently dead."

"How have you come to know this?" Hunter asked while placing a hand on Tessa's shoulder. She drove her elbow into his chest and he bent over.

"Miss Matleo!" Quistis said in shock. "I'm going to have to report you for that."

"Whom will you report me to?" the medic asked sarcastically. "Security?"

Quistis didn't respond and Hunter sat upright again, though wary of Tessa's arm. He scooted out of her reach, but remained close enough to converse with the two women.

"Anyway," Tessa continued with a shadow of a smile on her lips, "I believe that these things can somehow sense what's alive and what isn't. However, I don't know how that would be. My best guess would be that either our body heat gives us away, or they can hear our blood pumping."

"But why would they consume the, as you have put it, 'recently dead'?" Hunter asked loudly, drawing the attention of the other people in the lobby. "Surely their blood doesn't flow as ours."

_Great, the asshole put me on the spot. I hate public speaking._

"Well, if I remember correctly, and I'm not sure as it's been awhile since I've studied the cardiovascular system, blood does flow for a few minutes after death. However, the most likely hypothesis is the detection of body heat. I wouldn't bet my life on it, though." Flashes of a freshly dead Tifa feasting on herself entered Tessa's mind and Shiva could be heard gagging.

"So how do we escape?" Selphie asked excitedly, jumping up and down. "There has to be some way to hide our body heat, right?"

Everyone looked at Tessa expectantly. The redhead looked to her Instructor, but Quistis seemed as enthralled as the others. "Well, I don't know if it will work, but the foam in a fire extinguisher might be able to do it. It's been done in movie sphere's, but you can't trust Midgar on anything. There's no way to safely do an experiment."

"I'll do it!" Selphie volunteered. "It can't be that hard, can it? Just spray me down and I'm out of here."

"No!" Quistis yelled, looking at Selphie with wide eyes. "You heard Antessence, there's no way of knowing if it'll even work."

"Let her," Squall said. The Commander of Balamb Garden stepped into the centre of the crowd, glaring at Tessa. He still had his gunblade in hand. "We're all dead anyway."

"Umm, never mind," Selphie said, backing down after hearing her friends' words. "I'll just stay in here if that's okay."

"I don't feel good, ya know?" someone complained in the silence.

"Hey! We need a doctor over here!" a man yelled. Immediately, all eyes locked onto Tessa.

_I just can't catch a break, can I?_

**Apparently not. Then again, you seem like the type of person who doesn't need one. You already seem to have gotten over Holt and Aili.**

Tessa stood up and the people parted as she approached the bench parallel to the receptionist's desk. Prior to that, she had been sitting on the floor by the entrance. Shiva's words rang in her ears and Tessa felt fresh pain at her losses.

**Sorry.**

_Just shut the fuck up, like I've been asking._

The person who had complained of being sick was lying on the bench. Tessa remembered that it was the place where she and Adette had first met. They fought right away, as Phelan watched on. She almost wept anew for him.

"Where does it hurt?" Tessa asked as she knelt beside the guy. He was tall, incredibly muscled, and tanned almost as heavily as Hunter. Standing to the side and looking worried was the grey-haired woman, Fujin, and the security guard/former leader of Galbadia, Seifer.

"H-here," the guy said as he raised his arm. It was a bite, and Tessa narrowed her eyes as he spoke again. "Can you do anything for me?"

"Yes, just close your eyes," Tessa said quietly. She couldn't believe she had been with a bite victim for so long and not knowing about it. Everyone could've been killed. Looking at his friends, Tessa let words fall from her lips that she wanted to hold back. "Was he bitten by one of those things?"

They nodded, unknowingly sealing their friend's demise. Tessa ran a head over his forehead, feeling the heat as he shuddered beneath her touch.

"So, what're you going to do?" Seifer asked. "What're you going to do to Raijin?"

"SAVE?" Fujin asked.

"Yes, I'm going to save him," Tessa said sadly. Nobody knew what she meant, though. "I need a gunblade for this, and I see two."

Seifer handed his over, asking what it was for. He didn't get an answer. The room was paralysed as Tessa raised the gunblade over her head. Raijin's chest stopped moving and she knew that he was dead, even if the others didn't. There was only one thing to do. She swung downward, toward his skull. The blade was inches from his forehead when a searing pain in her side caused Tessa to scream in pain and drop the gunblade. It hit Raijin's face with one of the flat sides, doing little more than breaking the dead man's nose.

"You can't kill him!" Selphie cried as she ran over and stood between the fallen warrior and the fallen medic. She had hit Tessa with a Blizzara spell, and the redhead was sure that she had frostbite as she clutched her side in agony. "That's murder! What kind of person are you?"

Tessa couldn't say anything, her teeth gritted against the pain.

"Antessence, are you crazy?" Quistis cried, kneeling beside her student. "What were you trying to do?"

"Raijin?" Seifer said as his friend sat up. Tessa saw the red eyes but couldn't say anything. They were rising faster in Balamb than in Galbadia City.

The dead man said nothing as he stood. Selphie threw her arms around him, blubbering about how she had saved him from some psychopath. Raijin had his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. Within a second, she was screaming and trying to pull away. Raijin was the first to do so, however. He had a long string of muscle and neck skin between his teeth. Blood shot out of Selphie and hit Raijin and the wall.

"Selphie!" Irvine screamed. The sound of a shotgun blast filled the small room. Raijin's head exploded, the only part of him not hidden behind the bubbly Brunette. Selphie fell backward onto Tessa, blood spilling out of her wound and onto the younger girl.

Squall calmly walked over to Selphie and looked down at her. Quistis tried to use a Curaga spell on the bite, but it had absolutely no effect.

"There's no cure for a bite!" Tessa finally cried out. "Kill her. Do it now."

"No!" Irvine cried out, looking at Quistis rather than his dying love. "She can't..."

"Destroy the brain or she'll come back," screamed the medic as her body grew used to the pain of Selphie's spell. "Do it now!"

Squall lifted his gunblade. Tessa looked up at him and saw the Commander mouth something to his comrade before thrusting the gunblade through her skull.

"Hyne, what's going on?" Tessa heard Quistis whisper before the Instructor pressed her hand against Tessa's frozen side. At first the pain increased with the added pressure, but soon it diminished to a mere numbness.

"I think it's time for you to give me your report," Squall told Tessa with no emotion in his voice. "I want you in the Headmaster's office within five minutes."

He skulked away, gore-covered gunblade held at his side. Tessa looked around to see that Quistis now had her face buried in Irvine's chest, while Seifer and Fujin looked completely dumbfounded.

"Excuse me," the woman with the shawl said as she tapped Tessa on the shoulder.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Tessa grimaced as she pushed Selphie's body off of her and onto the floor. "This isn't the best time to chat, you know."

Indeed it wasn't. A quiet had settled over the lobby, broken only by Quistis's sobs and the exchange of words between the other two women. Even Hunter seemed to have realized that it was a sombre occasion, because he wasn't trying to steal everyone's attention.

"Everyone knows me as the Card Queen," the woman announced as she waved her arms wildly. "And you're wearing my fiance's engagement ring."

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A/N: Yes, I did it! I fooled my audience and made a surprising plot twist. Woo! So, to recap: Selphie and Raijin are dead; Adette's engaged, not to Fujin (hah hah, got you all!), but the Card Queen (last minute change on my part); and Tessa is about to give her mission report to Squall. Let me tell you, if you thought that there were surprises in this chapter, the next one will blow this one out of the water. (At least, I hope so.)


	50. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty-Eight:

A/N: Sorry, still celebrating the deaths of Selphie and Raijin. (Morbid, I know. They were just two characters that were hard for me to write, and this was the simplest solution.) Actually, when I had first started writing this fic, Selphie was supposed to be a big part of Tessa's life; Xu was meant to take Adette's place (minus the awkward lesbianism, of course) as the "comatose" girl; and the survivors were supposed to go to Caraway's mansion rather than the Presidential Residence while in Galbadian City. Zell was going to die regardless. Just mull that over and let me know if you find it to be a better concept than the storyline I'm on now. It won't make any difference in the fic, I'm just curious. Also, Tessa uses her limit break for the first time. (I knew I was forgetting something.)

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**You know, you haven't mentioned how stupid men are in awhile. Perhaps you're growing up.**

_Men are stupid, I've just realized that it goes without saying._

Tessa pushed open the door to the Headmaster's office. Squall was bent over an open drawer of a filing cabinet. When he heard Tessa, he looked up and motioned for her to close the door.

"Where would like me to start?" Tessa asked. Squall raised his eyebrow, but she didn't take the hint. "What?"

Squall pulled out a file and sat at the Headmaster's desk. "How do we address to our superiors at Garden?"

**I think he wants you to call him "Sir." Maybe even salute.**

_I'm not doing that._

"Excuse me, but there is no more Garden. In case you haven't noticed, almost everyone is dead and trying to get in here. Fuck the formalities."

Squall said nothing. He opened the file before him and scanned it, eyes opening in mild surprise. After flipping through a few pages, the Commander closed the file and set it on the desk. Narrowed eyes glared at Tessa. "Go ahead. It's not like I can court martial you. Start from the beginning."

She did. Tessa told Squall everything from the train ride onward. When she reached Rinoa's death, however, the redhead lied. She also left out the romantic notions between herself and Holt, as well as Adette. The incidents with the Blonde were left out well. Squall showed no emotion as Tessa spoke. IN fact, it didn't even look as if he was listening.

"Tell me something," Squall said as he slid the file on the desk to Tessa. "What do you think of this?"

"The Rots?" Tessa asked. Squall didn't nod or answer. All he did was look at her with contempt. "I don't know."

"Look at that file."

Tessa picked up the manila folder and saw her name scratched on the cover in pen. "It's mine, what's in here that I wouldn't know about?"

Again, no answer. Tessa rolled her eyes and flipped the cover. The front page was blank. She looked at the one after that, and the next, before flipping all the way to the back. Every single one of them was nothing more than white.

_What the hell is this?_

"What the hell is this?" Tessa's lips echoed. "Where is everything about my training, my years at Lotia Garden? Where the fuck is my history? Is this some kind of joke?"

"So, what do you think about it?" Squall asked again.

**I think there's something you should know.**

"I... uh..." was Tessa's response to both. "What?"

"There is no official record of you before coming to this Garden," Squall told Tessa. "I have never even heard of you before today."

"What about the cafeteria incident?" Tessa exclaimed. "You saved my life!"

Squall shook his head, which made her nervous.

**Listen to me, there is something you don't know. Something happened at Garden before you arrived.**

"A man rose from the dead and you decapitated him! How can you not remember that?"

**Shinra became Balamb Garden's main benefactor! Right after NORG was defeated. I was junctioned to Squall when Cid made him Commander!**

Then it clicked. everything fell into place. How the Blonde woman found her in the forest, knew when she would be at the train station. The Blonde and her cohorts had been at Timber and were using Materia, a Shinra product.

"I read all about your adventures during the Sorceress War," Tessa told Squall as she looked in his eyes. Her fiery red ones looked into his, which were cold and soulless. "Tell me something. How does a rookie SeeD who screwed up his first two assignments, almost got his Garden blown up, and somehow become the Commander? Not the ideal choice for a leader, if you ask me."

The SeeD stood up, gunblade in hand, and walked to the door behind Tessa. She heard a click as it was locked, and turned around. Squall was looking at her with absolute hatred.

"That's it, isn't it? Shinra bought this Garden, and got you in the deal. You're their puppet, aren't you?" Tessa said as the last of the puzzle pieces fell into place. "That's why the Headmaster didn't want the cafeteria incident to get out, isn't it? And when that girl Erin got sick, it was the disease that turns people into Rots. You didn't go with me to exhume the monster that attacked her because I was supposed to die, wasn't I? Why? Because I worked on the case? Why not Dr. Kadowaki then?"

**Shut up! You really don't want to make him mad.**

Tessa ignored Shiva's advice and pressed on. "She is in on it, too, isn't she? Why else try to kill me and not her? It all makes sense now! Shinra is behind this whole thing!"

"You're incredibly smart," Squall said. Tessa didn't take it as a compliment, considering who it had come from. "You figured all of that out by just looking at a blank sheet of paper, impressive."

"Stay the fuck away from me," Tessa warned as she stood up and backed away from Squall. She backed into the desk, and reached behind for some sort of weapon, finding none.

Squall lifted his gunblade up and pointed it at Tessa. "What was it you called me? A puppet for Shinra? That's not how I'd put it, but you're not wrong. Still, my relationship with Shinra is nothing like yours."

The blood drained from Tessa's face. She had a history with Shinra? It was impossible, she had been at Lotia Garden all of her life. Hell, Hunter could vouch for that. "You don't know what you're talking about."

**Yell for help! Can't you see he's going to kill you? This is not the Squall I was junctioned to during the Sorceress War.**

_You said that you were created in a lab or some bullshit like that. What is going on?_

**I already told you I had lied. I am _the_ only GF Shiva. The Shivas housed in Materia is what's created in a lab. They duplicated the frequencies given off when I'm Summoned. Essentially, they're clones.**

While the girl and her GF had been conversing, Squall had used a Fira spell to melt the door handle so that there would be no escape. His voice soon reached Tessa's ears, and she snapped to attention just as he struck.

She ducked as the gunblade came flying at her head. Her right fist shot out, striking him in the stomach. Squall flinched, but didn't really appear to feel it. He raised his own right hand and a flame leapt out like a serpent's tongue. Tessa dropped and rolled under the desk, which took the full force of the spell. The fire spread quickly, and the heat beat down on her face.

"What is wrong with you?" Tessa screamed before coughing. Smoke was quickly filling the room.

"Is something going on in there?" Quistis called as she knocked on the door. "The door's locked!"

The Commander of Balamb Garden said nothing as he launched himself over the desk. The point of the gunblade landed right beside Tessa's head. One more inch in her direction and she would've been seriously injured. Tessa lifted up her own right hand, palm flat, and used one of her Water spells. It hit Squall in the face, snapping his head back.

"Nice shot," he retorted, his voice full of sarcasm.

Tessa rolled the other way and stood up in front of the desk. She lifted her shirt collar up to her mouth and nose to help filter the smoke, only to taste blood. Selphie's blood.

"Squall, Antessence! What is happening? There's smoke!" Quistis shouted. "Open the door!"

By this time, the desk was consumed with flames. The heat caused sweat to gather on Tessa's forehead and the smoke stung her eyes.

**Summon me! I may not do much to him, but I can put out the fire!**

It seemed like a good idea, so the medic slapped the pin hanging on her neck. In doing so, she also hit the half heart charm that belonged to Jayne. As Shiva appeared in the room as a scantily clad blonde with blue skin and threw a large blast of cold at Squall and the desk, Squall slapped his own chest, activating one of his own GFs. Out of nowhere came a humanoid bat-like demon. The main colours of its appearance were red and black. It reached out with a red claw and grabbed a large black ball over its head, launching it at Tessa. She flew back and hit the door, eliciting cries from the people on the other side.

"Are you being attacked?" Quistis screamed as a pounding sound hit the door.

Tessa sat up and stared as Squall approached. He had his gunblade in his left hand and his right held out. Tessa raised her own in retaliation. As another jet of flame shot out of Squall's hand, a burst of water flew from Tessa's. They met in midair, steam rising to the ceiling. As both spells ended, Squall drove his gunblade through Tessa's left shoulder. But rather than pull it out, he tugged up and cut through bone and tendon.

Tears built up in Tessa's eyes from the pain. However, Shiva gave some words of encouragement.

**You can do this, use your limit break!**

Putting her right hand on her injured shoulder, Tessa stood up despite the pain. Squall's eyes widened but held his gunblade in front as though it were a sword.

_Almost every story has the hero using a sword. Not this time._

"You're..." Tessa gasped as smoke continued to pour from the now extinguished desk. "Done."

Tessa's red eyes seemed to glow and all of the smoke around her whirled away as if shocked by her touch. She stepped forward, advancing on Squall. He raised his right hand again and cast Firaga, but the lava split and burned holes through the wall behind Tessa rather than touch her. The people in the lobby saw what was happening and gasped.

An unearthly shriek emitted from Tessa, and a sonic blast came out her mouth. It hit Squall and knocked him back into the desk. He lost his grip on the gunblade, and it clattered to the floor. The sound waves continued, flipping Squall backward over the desk and into the wall on the other side of the room. The Commander grabbed his ears, which had begun to bleed.

"Stop, you're killing him!" Quistis shouted. Tessa's body jerked and she crumpled to the floor. Squall fell also, unconscious. The people from the lobby stepped through the holes in the wall and into the office. they were greeted with smoke and blood. The charred remains of the desk still sent out puffs of smoke and ash.

A gloved hand touched Tessa's wound and, for the second time that day, Instructor Quistis Trepe healed her.

"Antessence, what happened here? Why were you and Squall fighting?"

Tessa coughed, trying to empty her lungs of smoke. "He tried to kill me. He's a plant from the Shinra. They own Garden now. I figured it out. Dr. Kadowaki and the Headmaster are in on it, too."

"Squall told you all of this?" Quistis asked fearfully. Tessa could see the pain in her teacher's eyes as she realized that yet another of her friends was gone forever. Not dead, but gone.

"Why else attack me?" the redhead asked. "We have to get out of here, to the vessel."

Quistis helped Tessa to her feet and supported the girl. The remaining survivors looked around in fear. All but one.

"I've always wanted this," Seifer said as he picked up Squall's gunblade.

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A/N: Woo, Squall is a villain! Seriously though, Tessa was right. Every hero in every FF game I've played used a sword, Except for Yuna in FF X-2, but it doesn't really count since she could use a sword if the right dressphere was equipped. That game broke all of the FF rules, but I still semi-enjoyed it. But, now that Squall's a bad guy, that leaves two heroes from FFVIII, plus Seifer and Fujin. Nida isn't in this fic, but if I do a sequel I'll include him. Aren't I deliciously evil?


	51. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty-Nine:

A/N: Ah, the escape from Garden. But you're probably more concerned with what happens to Squall, aren't you my lovelies? Will he be executed ala Zell, killed like Rinoa was, or will his fate be left unanswered like Xu's? I guess you'll have to read to find out.

In response to Chap. 46, it looked fine when I clicked on it...

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"Strip him of his weapons and GFs," Irvine ordered the remaining students. The Card Queen stood off to the side, staring at the two bands of silver on her left hand. One her own, the other Adette's. Tessa, whom had been resting after her fight with Squall, glared at the woman.

**She's not that bad, you know.**

_Shiva, for the final time, I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH ADETTE!_

**No need to yell. besides, I didn't even mention Adette. You know, jealously is kind of cute on you...**

How are you, Antessence? Hunter asked as he sat beside Tessa and watched the other's swarm over Squall's unconscious form. The medic was too tired to try to chase him off. Sighing, she looked at him.

What do you want, and why are we speaking in Junonian? We are both fluent in Galbadian, after all. Might save some time with the translating and whatnot, Tessa said.

Precisely, we need privacy, Hunter said with a wink. Tessa formed a fist but didn't strike him. Were you really so injured as to use your limit break?

I had a fucking gunblade in my shoulder, you asshole. Does the shredded fabric and blood not tell you that? I'm surprised I didn't pass out like that stupid man in the office, Tessa complained. We are seriously fucked. I have no idea how we're getting out of here.

"So, you did what I never could," Seifer said soberly as he walked to the teenagers speaking in their native tongues. "You beat Squall, even after escaping those things outside and having someone die on top of you."

"Gee, it's nice to know that you're mourning your friends."

"Raijin is dead, yes, and that does hurt. As for Selphie, not so much. She was incredibly annoying. Her personality changed after the war ended. Became almost obsessed with Irvine, the poor guy," Seifer said with a grin. "Still, that doesn't change the fact that you're one tough broad. I'd like to take you on sometime."

"That would not be a desirable result for you," Hunter said. Tessa wasn't sure if it was a compliment or not, but she resisted the urge to smack him.

"What do you want, Mr. I-led-Galbadia-until-I-got-my-ass-kicked-by-Squall-and-his-happy-cohorts?" Tessa asked. Seifer actually flinched, and it made the redhead smile.

**Would you lay off of him? You don't need to be upsetting more people.**

"Ouch, so you know about that," Seifer said, looking around. Selphie and Raijin's bodies had been drug to the door leading outside, as though they were trash waiting to be taken out. "Did I hear you right, before the whole Squall thing? Adette Berna is still alive?"

"Yes," Tessa confirmed with a glance at the Card Queen. She had a sudden desire to drive Squall's gunblade through the older woman's chest. "Why?"

"After the war ended, Squall brought Raijin, Fujin, and I back to Garden. Not many people were willing to give us a second chance."

"Gee, that's a surprise," Tessa snorted. Liana's words were still ringing in her head. "Why were you let back in Garden, anyway?"

Seifer, who was holding Squall's gunblade, looked over at the two bodies by the door. "I think he was doing one of those 'keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer' deals. I had lost all of my power in Galbadia, and he probably wanted to keep an eye on me. As for Raijin and Fujin, they always have my back."

Tessa shook her head, her bangs falling into her eyes. It wasn't a very flattering look, she knew. "What does this have to do with Adette?" Again, a look of death went to the completely oblivious Card Queen.

"Who is Adette?" Hunter asked.

"She's my g..." Tessa began to say, but she stopped herself. Seifer's eyes darted from Tessa to the Card Queen in understanding. "She was on my exam. She's the only other person who survived."

"Ah," Hunter said, losing interest. The tanned young man stood up and went to a Brunette in a ponytail.

"So, you've got thing for Adette?" Seifer said with a grin. "Can't say as to I blame you. She's a great girl."

"I do not have a thing for Adette," Tessa said angrily.

**Yes you do.**

"How do you know her anyway?" Tessa asked. Seifer sat down beside Tessa where Hunter had been. He balanced Squall's gunblade on his left knee and laughed.

"Adette was one of the few people to give me a second chance. The first, actually. She has a lot of faith in people; really kind, too."

_That doesn't sound like the Adette I know._

**It sounds like the one I know.**

"She didn't have many friends," Seifer continued. "I think it had to do with her being a lesbian. Garden doesn't allow them to become SeeDs, you know. Gays and lesbians. I don't know about bisexuals."

"Yes, I knew that," Tessa said. It was one of the many problems Tessa had with Gardens in general. "It's one of the first thing written in the rules."

"Right. Anyway, Adette approached Fujin one day and asked her for a date. I don't know why, but everyone thinks Fujin is a lesbian. Still, rather than turn her in, Fujin brought Adette into our group as a friend. The girl's like a little sister to me. I wanted to thank you for taking care of her for me."

Tessa scoffed. Adette, _her_ Adette, was actually friends with this loser?

**What do you mean by _your_ Adette? Are you admitting your feelings for her?**

"Shut up," Tessa said aloud. Seifer thought that it was meant to him, and she could tell he didn't understand why. "It's Shiva."

"Ah, Shiva," Seifer said, his face lighting up. "She was a birthday gift to Adette from the three of us." At that, he gestured to himself, pointed at Raijin's body, and then at Fujin who was also giving the Card Queen a dirty look.

"What is up with her?" Tessa asked as she glared at the Card Queen. Seifer followed her gaze and chuckled. "Why would Adette choose someone so..."

"Irritating?" Seifer finished. Tessa nodded and Seifer laughed again. "Don't worry, neither Fujin or myself can stand her. As for Raijin, he can't..." a pained looked crossed Seifer's face as he corrected himself, "couldn't see anything wrong with the Queen. Never was the most intelligent person around, let me tell you."

A small snarl crossed Tessa's face as she continued to stare at the Card Queen. "That doesn't explain why Adette is with her. And what's the freak's name anyway?"

"Don't know her name, never asked," Seifer said with a shrug. "All I know is that Adette didn't have many options. Hell, I think the dumb bitch over there is only in it for the money."

"Money?" Tessa asked. Last she knew, students at Garden didn't get paid.

"Adette helps with security sometimes, and we pay her for it. Associating with us didn't make her very popular, though. Sometimes I think she would've been better off without us," Seifer put his hands behind his head and leaned against the wall. "Are you sure you're not into her?"

"I'm not into Adette. I'm not a lesbian," Tessa said through gritted teeth.

**Liar. You know you love her.**

"Whatever," Seifer said.

A few minutes of silence passed. It was broken when Quistis and Irvine walked over to talk to Tessa and Seifer. Quistis still had her whip at her side, and Irvine had his shotgun with him. Other than that, there weren't many weapons. Most of the people hadn't had time to retrieve them from their dorms when the siege began.

"We have a plan to escape, but we need your help," Quistis said. Irvine was silent but nodded. "Some of us are going to go into Garden and get some vehicle's from the garage, then pick the others up and drive to the docks. Well escape on your vessel, Antessence. Since you know how to drive, we want you to go, Seifer."

"And me?" Tessa asked. She knew that they were going to ask her to do something.

Quistis sighed and looked as though she regretted what she was about to say. "Well, since you do have more experience than anyone else..."

"You want me to go, too."

"Yeah. A couple of others, a SeeD named Suris and a student named Tyran. Suris can drive and is a Sabre. He's not familiar with it, but we gave him your gunblade," Quistis told Seifer. The Blonde man looked at Squall's gunblade on his knee and shrugged nonchalantly. He didn't care. "Tyran is Majoring in Magic and should be an invaluable resource. You will be going on foot, but Irvine will cover you from the roof of the building."

"And how will he do that?" Tessa asked. "He will he stand out there and watch as we run for our lives?"

"No," Irvine said shakily, speaking for the first time. "When this place was rebuilt, the Administration building had a hatch installed that led to the roof. I'll be sniping from up there as best I can."

Then Irvine trading a look with Quistis, and he mouth something. Quistis shook her head no.

"I can't do this anymore, not after..." Quistis looked at Selphie's corpse waiting by the door.

"Well I can't lie anymore. We always said we'd tell her someday, but now we can't," Irvine shot at Quistis, who looked as though she were about to cry. Tessa had no clue what was going on. "The least we can do in her memory is be honest."

"Is this what I think it is?" Seifer whispered to Tessa with a morbid grin.

"What is it?" Tessa whispered back. Seifer didn't need to answer, because her question was answered without any words at all. Irvine kissed Quistis much in the same way Adette had her, but Quistis didn't react the same way Tessa had. While Tessa had been filled with confusion, disgust, and self-loathing, Quistis responded by kissing Irvine back.

Seifer leaned back over to Tessa and said loudly, "Bet you didn't see that one coming."

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A/N: All right, I'm done with the left field plot twists, for now. Heh heh heh... So, the Squall question wasn't answered, but at least there's a plan to get to the docks. (Spoiler Alert! Adette doesn't die while Tessa's at Garden. Just didn't want anyone to wonder about that.)


	52. Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty:

A/N: I know, 50 chapters! I can't believe it either. So much has happened to these people I've grown to love and hate. We've said hello to OCs, goodbye to old and new friends and heroes, Tessa's relived her childhood rape and killed a man she felt she could have loved, Adette has captured our (and Tessa's) hearts, and there has even been a bit of humour along the way. I know it's stupid to reminisce, but as I'm writing this chapter, I'm preparing to graduate from high school. Give me a break, my world is about to change. Many of these OCs (Tessa included) have been based on friends that I may never get to see again. I just wanted to let my friends and fans alike know that I appreciate you being with me.

Okay, now that the emotional crap is on the way, I want to warn you guys that this may be one of the goriest chapters yet (and that's a lot considering the events in chapters 37 and 38), so don't eat before reading this.

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The blast of a shotgun could be heard as the SeeD, security guard, and two students ran across the grounds of Balamb Garden. Tessa thought of how much she had enjoyed transferring to Balamb Garden initially, but now it was one of the worst places that she had ever been. A female Rot in a SeeD uniform launched itself at Tessa, but its head exploded with another shot from Irvine. Brain matter and bits of scalp hit the girl in the face, but she just brushed it off with her bandaged right hand. It had been awhile since she thought about it, but Tessa suddenly remembered that she was missing a portion of her nose. It was an odd time to think about it, she admitted, but there never was a good time, really.

Suris and Seifer hacked away at the Rots, keeping Tyran and Tessa safe. For a brief moment Tessa wondered why she was the only woman involved in the retrieval of the vehicles. It didn't seem right, sticking her with a bunch of men. All they would do was slow her down.

**You don't really believe that, do you?**

_Look at the record,_ Tessa answered Shiva. _I've never been saved by a man. Adette saved me from the Rots in the Presidential Residence, and Quistis saved me from the idiots in the Administration Building._

**What about Holt saving you in the sewers? He paralysed the Creeps that was trying to kill you, then helped you get into the Residence in the first place.**

_Fat load of good that did. Everyone in there died anyway. Besides, I was tortured, if you'll recall._

Tessa stopped as the Rot version of Aili stumbled toward her, but Seifer sliced her head open with the gunblade. He winked at the redhead, not realizing the effect that the event had on the girl.

"Aah!" Suris cried. Tessa swung around and saw a Rot take a bite out of his forearm.

_Great, just what I don't need,_ she thought. Leaping over Aili's body, Tessa ran to Suris and elbowed the Rot in the face. It fell back and the SeeD shoved the gunblade through its face.

"Thank you!" he said, looking at Tessa appreciatively.

"Give me the gunblade," she ordered. Unwillingly, he did as he was asked.

"I'm okay, really. it doesn't hu..." but he never finished his sentence. Tessa swung and split open his neck, spraying herself with warm blood. Then she wheeled around and shoved the gunblade into the chest of another Rot before punching it in the face and taking off.

When they were halfway to Garden, the remaining three noticed that there were no more gunshots. That meant that they were either too far away for Irvine to see them, or that he was out of ammunition. Tessa hoped that it was the former.

"We don't know what's waiting for us inside," Seifer told his companions when they reached the entrance. He looked from Tyran to Tessa and cocked an eyebrow. "Where's that SeeD, Suris?"

"I killed him," Tessa said nonchalantly. "He was bitten, infected. He would've become one of them."

"You didn't have to do it just now!" Seifer said angrily as he jumped over the small entrance gate. It wasn't actually intact anymore, the Rots had destroyed them all by pushing their collective weight against them.

"We didn't know when he was going to turn. Besides, at least he won't become one of them," Tessa shot back as she too jumped the gate. Tyran followed silently.

The Garden seemed bigger than Tessa remembered, though it had been barely a week since she had been away. Each foot pounding on the linoleum floor seemed to conjure another dead classmate. Punch, slash, cast: it became almost mundane as the three fought their gory way through the commons. As they passed the library, Tessa saw her roommate, Latasha, stumble out in all of her chewed up glory.

The aspiring firearms major appeared to have had her cheeks ripped out, as the soft skin fell down over her jaw. The lips were bitten off, leaving behind two large open wounds. Flies swarmed all over her body and as she approached, Tessa saw that maggots were squirming around in her eye sockets. The redhead decided to give her roommate the peace that Seifer had given her best friend, and charged Latasha. She pounded the Rot's face with her fist, then grabbed her head and brought it down on the corner of the library sign.

Latasha fought back, as most Rots do. She bit at the living girl, who easily dodged the slow movements. Tessa kicked Latasha in the face, sending her jaw flying away. Then she ducked and whirled around behind Latasha and kicked her into a potted plant. That was when she saw the pistol sticking out of the shirt pocket. Tessa finally jumped behind Latasha, grabbed the side of her head with one hand and a shoulder with the other, and jerked. The cracking sound sickened the medic, but she didn't vomit. Instead, she reached into the Latasha's pocket, pulled out the gun, and placed the barrel at the side of Latasha's head.

"Thank you," she whispered before pulling the trigger. A roar was behind her and Tessa whirled around, aiming the gun. A male Rot, in civilians clothes, advanced on her. Keeping her cool, Tessa pulled the trigger again. When all she heard was click, she shout, "Shit!"

She threw the gun, hitting the Rot in the chest, and bolted. In taking the time to kill Latasha, Tessa had been left behind by Seifer and Tyran. _Typical useless men._

**You were the one who didn't stick to the plan.**

_Bite me,_ Tessa thought as two Rots came up from behind and grabbed her. Tessa drove her elbow into one, knocking it back, and hit the other one with the back of her head. They didn't release her and she knew that she was as good as dead.

If she didn't know better, Tessa would have sworn that the shotgun blasts that saved her life had come from Irvine. In reality, it was a lunch lady, a one-armed lunch lady. Tessa remembered her from the cafeteria incident during her second day at Balamb Garden. Why had she not seen her since then until that very moment? Did they stick her in the back washing dishes while the other lunch ladies with two arms served food and collected money. Tessa tasted bile at the thought.

"You might want to be more careful," the lunch lady said with a hoarse laugh. It almost seemed that seeing a student being attacked by the undead were an everyday occurrence to the woman. "Those things can be real pains."

"Ma'am?" Tessa asked as she walked to the woman, who was standing on a bench across from the library sign. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Desiree Supre, lunch lady extraordinaire," she said as she jumped down to the floor. A piece of skull was lying next to her foot and she absentmindedly kicked it away. "Well, you'd better get going, your friends probably won't wait for long."

"Thanks," Tessa said before taking off. It amazed her how someone could have survived inside the Garden for so long, but then it brought up other thoughts. Just _how_ did they know all of the survivors where in the Administration Building? There could be some holed up in dorms or the classroom, waiting to be rescued.

**You can't save everyone. But with that lunch lady around, who needs you?**

Tessa didn't find Shiva's joke funny.

She passed the training centre, the sounds of the wilderness so close it spooked her. Then again, she had almost died. Anything could have frightened her. Not that she would ever admit it.

A couple of Rots were standing in front of the closed door to the parking garage, and Tessa cursed her bad luck. Why hadn't she stayed with Seifer and Tyran?

"Hey, over here?" she yelled, catching their attention. Dumbly, they turned and hobbled toward her.

Now, surrounding both walls of the commons was a smaller wall, about two feet high and a foot wide. Tessa used this to her advantage, climbing on it and luring the undead students away from the garage. When she was satisfied that they were a good distance from the door, Tessa sprinted toward it. She jumped off of the wall and landed in front of the door. She opened it and slammed it shut. Stopping to breathe, she heard a moan.

Tessa looked up and saw one of the most gruesome Rots her eyes had ever laid themselves on. It was stripped naked and the complete front half of its body had been stripped away, leaving behind tattered strips of skin, a couple of organs that were missing bite-sized chunks, and bones. It was impossible to determine if it was male or female. The eyes had even been torn out, and Tessa could see the grey of the brain through the eye sockets. (A/N: One of my friends, who is training to be a nurse, told me that the brain is pink due to blood running through it. Bet you're glad I told you not eat, huh?)

It stumbled toward Tessa blindly, even though it couldn't see. Again, she guessed that they were detecting her body heat, but she didn't know how. However, with each step, a new piece of the Rot fell onto the floor.

"Guys?" she called as the thing crept even closer to her. No answer. On the other side of the garage door, the two Rots she had tricked were scratching and trying to get in. "Hey, assholes! Are you in here or not?"

Again, no answer. Tessa locked the garage door and dodged the Rot, who dumbly reached out for her and missed. Lying nearby on the greasy floor was a crowbar. Tessa picked it up and charged the Rot, trying to thrust it through one of the eye cavities. Unfortunately, her aim was off and it scraped against the brow ridge.

The Rot, which was unaffected, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her in close for a bite. Tessa shoved her right hand in its face and cast Water, snapping its head back in much the same way Squall's had been. Next she tried, unsuccessfully, to free herself from its grip. When that didn't work, she broke the arm off with the crowbar. But before she could do anything else, the Rot's head fell to the floor, shortly followed by the body.

"We thought you'd never get here," Seifer said with a scowl. Tessa glared at him and tightened her grip on the crowbar. Following Seifer, she saw two vehicles surrounded by dead bodies. "Yeah, kind of had some trouble."

"Was anyone bit?" she asked, looking Seifer over.

"No," he quickly answered. Tessa doubted that he would have told her the truth, not after what she'd done to Suris. "Tyran's opening the garage door. Do you know how to drive? I wouldn't ask, but you killed the other driver."

"I know enough to get by," Tessa scoffed. It wasn't exactly lying: she had driven to Garden, but the road had been clear. Yet, even then, she'd damaged the vehicle.

"Fine then," Seifer said, "you're driving lead. I'll follow in case I have to rescue your ass."

"You're not getting anywhere near my ass," Tessa shot back. Seifer smirked. "Just stay out of my way."

"Seifer!" Tessa heard Tyran yell. "They're coming!"

"Looks like you're up," Seifer said mockingly. They each ran to a vehicle, and Tessa was relieved to see that the keys were in the ignition. She turned it and listened to the engine start. Suddenly, one of the doors opened and Tyran climbed in.

"Seifer, they're coming and..." he said before noticing it was Tessa behind the wheel. "Hey, you're not Seifer!"

"What was your first clue?" Tessa asked sarcastically as she pushed down on the accelerator and shot out of the garage and into the daylight. "The breasts or the vagina?"

The comment was followed by an awkward silence, broken only by a whimper from Tyran as the vehicle hit a Rot. Tessa imagined the tires squashing the thing's skull, and the grey brain matter exploding all over the vehicle's yellow paint job. After swerving to (unsuccessfully) miss a few more Rots, Tessa stopped right outside the entrance to the Administration Building. It was much better than she had expected, driving-wise.

"Come on!" she screamed as she pressed the horn. A dull beeping noise alerted the buildings inhabitants of her arrival. Quistis and Irvine were the first out, followed by Fujin, Hunter, and a couple of others. They clambered into the vehicle, and Tessa let Quistis get behind the wheel. Both women knew which was the better driver.

"Why were you driving?" Irvine asked, his Galbadian accent incredibly minimal. "What happened to Suris?"

"She killed him," Tyran said. "Said he got bit."

Quistis pulled ahead and Seifer stopped in front of the building and honked, but no one came out. "The others think it's too risky to try to leave," Quistis explained to Tessa and Tyran. However, at the last possible second, the Queen of Cards came out and jumped in with Seifer. Tessa noticed a hardened look cross Fujin's face.

They pulled away, leaving behind just over ten people in the Administration building with Squall. Tessa turned around and looked out the window to see someone run out of the building, leaving the door open, and chase the vehicles. However, a Rot tackled and bit him as several others forced their way through the open door. The screams could still be heard long after the vehicles left the Garden grounds.

"It was their choice," Irvine said quietly as the two vehicles sped down the road to Balamb.

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A/N: Interesting way to do my 50th chapter? Maybe. The one-armed lunch lady is never going to mentioned again, but I'll let you all in one a little secret: in my head, she doesn't die. She finds an escape route in the Fire Cavern and gets away to live happily ever after! I'm such a softie.

Well, I left Squall's fate open, like Xu's, which is going to drive you crazy, isn't it? Well, maybe not: what with the Rots getting into the building and all. But you know what? As I write this it is 2:40 in the morning and I'm tired. So to hell with Squall. Please R&R!


	53. Chapter 51

Chapter Fifty-One:

A/N: I'm not sure what to say about this chapter, other than it is very, very angsty. Oh, and people die. Then again, people seem to be dying left and right here.

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Quistis proved to be much more adept at driving than Tessa as she swerved to avoid the undead. These were in civilian clothes, and Tessa wondered if they had been students on break, or if they had followed her from Balamb.

"How much further?" Tessa asked Quistis. The vehicle went off road to avoid five Rots converging on it. Looking back, everyone saw Seifer plough through them and honk his horn in victory. "To Balamb, I mean."

"About five kilometres," the Instructor answered. It had been a hard day, and everyone was exhausted. Even those who hadn't been running around dodging the undead seemed weighted down by seriousness of the situation.

The two people Tessa didn't know introduced themselves to her with gratuitous praise. She didn't know what to think of it.

"I'm Keyan," a raven-haired girl in a student uniform said. She looked oddly similar to Rinoa, but Tessa said nothing. The outstretched hand was shaken and the girl continued. "I'm a first year Medical Major."

Then the boy, a dirty Blonde with grey eyes, spoke up. "Name's Taik. I'm was a Sabre, but switched to gunblades last year."

_Gee, I wonder why?_ Tessa thought sarcastically. Shiva didn't give any input. The medic thought that perhaps the chatterbox GF had been silenced by the deaths of those whom had remained behind. It was a refreshing change of pace.

"Antessence, where did you get your necklace?" Hunter asked out of nowhere.

"I'm more interested in figuring out why she has Shiva,"Irvine interjected.

Tessa sighed and rolled her eyes. The two self-proclaimed playboys would just bother her until she answered anyway. "They were gifts."

"From whom?" Hunter pressed. The urge to hurt him came once more to Tessa, but she fought it down. Infighting always led to breakdowns and death, one of the first lessons that are taught all Gardens.

"The _collar_," Tessa said, emphasizing the second word. Why would someone call a collar a necklace? "The collar is from a friend named Jayne. She's a SeeD."

"Don't know her," Irvine said with a shrug.

"And the GF?" Quistis asked, getting involved in the conversation.

"ADETTE!" Fujin answered for Tessa.

"Yeah," Tessa concurred nervously as she ran a hand through her filthy hair. She had to stink, but nobody said anything. "Adette gave Shiva to me as a sign of goodwill. She has Phoenix, so it balances out. Now will you please leave me alone?"

Nobody said anything after that, so Tessa turned on the radio. Sitting in the front passenger seat had its perks, after all. However, there was no music coming from the speakers. Every single station that the vehicle could pick up with its tiny antenna gave the same recorded message.

"Stay indoors, do not go outside. The dead are walking. The military will rescue you within a few days. These things are not your family or friends."

When the message looped, Tessa shut the radio off with a sigh.

"Almost every station is like that," Quistis said as the vehicle entered the town of Balamb. The roads were too narrow for her to dodge, so the Rots were mowed down. They either bounced off the front bumper or fell victim to the tires. "The local ones have stopped broadcasting, though."

A Rot fell off the roof of a building and onto the front hood of the vehicle, crashing through the glass and onto Tessa. She pushed it away, and its mouth snapped shut on one of her bangs. With her hair in its mouth, the Rot pulled its head back, tearing skin off in addition to her hair. A sense of Deja Vu hit her as Quistis stopped the vehicle.

"Antessence!" she screamed as Tessa pushed on the undead creature's chest. The stench was unbearable, and something fell off of it and onto Tessa's lap. A strong wind blew out of nowhere and pushed the Rot out of the window.

Tessa looked back and saw that it was Phelan with his right hand held out. He looked at Quistis and shout, "Drive!"

Nervously, Quistis shifted the gears and the vehicle shook as it passed over the Rots body. Tessa opened the glove box and looked for something to stop the bleeding, finding only a couple of old, yet unused, tissues. Gingerly they were pressed against her forehead.

"Were you bitten?" Irvine asked. Tessa felt the cold steel of his shotgun press into the back of her head.

"No, she wasn't!" Quistis shouted as the vehicle gave another jolt. They passed a couple of houses and turned left, onto the marina. "Now would you put that thing a..."

"Oh, shit," Tessa muttered quietly.

The marina was covered with Rots, almost every square inch. As the vehicle ploughed through them, rotted hands beat on the glass windows. Decayed fingers snapped off grabbing at the living. Then there was a sound like the breaking of glass and a scream.

Turning around in her seat, Tessa saw Keyan being pulled out by the hungry masses. Her cries were silenced as she was dragged out and the Rots fell on her. Irvine fired at the window as the dead tried to climb inside, blowing off arms, legs, and heads. "Damn it, Quistis! What are you doing?"

As she turned back to the Instructor, Tessa saw that she was freaking out. Not like Rinoa in Galbadia City. She was muttering to herself and pressing on the gas as they moved forward.

When it seemed like would be overwhelmed, and the Rots would tip over the vehicle, a bird was heard squawking. Back on the vessel, Adette had seen what was happening and Summoned Phoenix to help!

_That's my girl,_ Tessa thought happily as she used the last of her Water spells to knock a couple of Rots off the hood.

**So now she's your girl. That's more like it.**

Regretting having thought anything and bringing Shiva out of hiding, sabbatical, or whatever it was she was doing, Tessa merely unbuckled and cheered Quistis on. Around them, the Rots were catching on fire and burning away into nothing. The vehicle, by some unknown means, made it to the dock the vessel was at.

"Move it, people!" Tessa shouted as she shook Quistis, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh, yes, we're here," the Instructor managed weakly before Tessa kicked open the driver's side door. A Rot immediately grabbed Quistis, but its head exploded and rained gore on her after Irvine fired.

As Phoenix swooped down and sent another barrage of fire at the Rots, the seven people climbed out of the vehicle, a flaming Rot reached out and grabbed Tyran, biting into his shoulder. None of the others flinched as he cried for help, they ran.

Tessa lumbered up the boarding platform she had used when Adette and she had arrived, and spilled onto the Vessel. Fujin, Quistis, and Hunter followed. Then the Blonde SeeD cried out the name of her Galbadian lover. Exhausted, Tessa stood up and watched as the cowboy let off a volley of shots before running up and jumping onto the deck of the vessel. He smiled, winked at the ladies, and said, "All in a day."

Entranced, Tessa watched as Tyran broke free, sprinted the distance from the vehicle to the dock, and made his own way onto the vessel, with the Rots close behind. A few controlled shots from Irvine changed that, and Tyran fell to the deck dead. No one saw what happened to Taik.

The vehicle with Seifer and the Card Queen was making its own way through mess, and for a moment it looked as though they might escape without losing anyone that they cared about.

"Is she dead?" someone asked, placing a hand on Tessa's shoulder. She turned her head and saw that it was Adette.

"No," Tessa answered as she pointed at the approaching vehicle. "She's there with Seifer." A sigh of relief came from Adette, and Tessa stiffened. The last thing she wanted was for the Card Queen to make it to the boat safely, but she didn't want her to die either.

Unfortunately, it seemed fate did want her to die. A sudden surge of Rots flipped the vehicle over just as Phoenix let off another fiery attack. The vehicle exploded and Adette cried out as though she were the one dying the blaze. Tessa turned around the other girl buried her face in the medic's chest. Awkwardly, the redhead put her arms around Adette in what she hoped was a comforting manner. Nobody else moved, except for Irvine who was pulling the trigger of his shotgun to keep the Rots from climbing onboard.

"Would someone start the damn engine before we die, too?" he yelled. His voice was full of frustration and pain.

In obedience, Quistis walked numbly into the control room and started the vessels engine. Tessa didn't know how the Instructor knew what to do, but it was the least of her concerns. The main thing was the girl crying into her bosom.

**Well, it looks like you finally got what you wanted.**

The darkness of Shiva's tone wasn't lost on Tessa, who was lost in a sea of elation and sorrow. Elation that the Card Queen was dead, and sorrow for what Adette was going through. Seifer's passing wasn't of much concern to her, since she didn't really know him. It did seem to hit Fujin rather hard, though. The silver-maned warrior stood looking at the marina as the vessel left behind everything that mattered to her.

"I can't believe it's over," Irvine said as he threw him gun down and burst into tears. Tessa saw Quistis come out and hold Irvine in much the same way she was Adette.

_It's far from over,_ Tessa thought as she lowered her eyes and breathed in Adette, thankful to be holding onto someone she cared for.

However, Hunter sat just outside the doorway to the control room, his eyes locked onto Tessa and Adette. Only one word came from his mouth, so low that no one else heard it. "_Tocaro._"

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A/N: I told you guys that it would be angsty. So Seifer and the Card Queen are dead. Two down, six to go, right? I don't know, no one's going to die for awhile. (I hope.) It's not in the plot for any of the survivors to be killed in the next few chapters, but the showdown with Shinra is coming up and the secrets of Tessa's past will come out. (As will just how the story is involved with Resident Evil, aside from the zombies.)

And in case you haven't figured it out, _tocaro_ is a very inappropriate insult against lesbians in Junonian. I'm not going to say what it means exactly, but it's bad.


	54. Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty-Two:

A/N: I know I said that it wasn't going to happen, but all of you TessaxAdette fans (and I know that there are some out there) are getting your wish. I figured that it was about time something good happened to the characters for once. And the prologue will FINALLY make some sort of sense. Oh, Alex, whatever happened to you?

And I apologize if my grammar and/or spelling has been crap lately, my regular word processor is screwing up, which means I've been using Wordpad. It _doesn't_ have spell check, and that makes for many mistakes.

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_Fine, you were right._

It had been two hours since the survivors escaped Balamb. An island nation with a population of tens of thousands dwindled to six teenagers: a Garden Instructor; an international outcast; a sharpshooter; a child of two Mages; a girl who lost a lover; and Tessa. During the time on the vessel, silence had become the _status quo_.

Hunter had stayed by himself, sitting in a corner and casting dark looks in Tessa's direction, but she hadn't noticed. Adette and she had sat down by the railing as the dark-haired girl cried herself to sleep. It took everything Tessa had to keep from smiling. She was safe, they were both safe. Of course, there was nowhere safe to go, but that didn't matter. Everything that mattered was the girl in her arms.

**I knew it.**

Tessa had been silently debating with Shiva as to whether or not she was in love with Adette, something they had been doing ever since they'd first come together as GF and host. Then Shiva got the answer she wanted and Tessa hadn't wanted to give. However, when it was out there, Tessa realized that she did feel better.

_I'm in love with Adette. Are you happy now? I'm in love with a girl who just watched her fiance get blown up. And to make matters worse, it was because of the GF I gave her! How do I approach her, huh? "Oh, hey, I know I've been a bastard to you ever since the kiss, but since your fiance is dead I think we should become a couple." Doesn't sound like it would work._

**I wouldn't recommend doing that. Might complicate things. Speaking of complicated...**

Looking up, Tessa saw Hunter walking over to her with a sour disposition. Quistis and Irvine were in the control room with the door shut, and she really didn't want to know what they were doing.

#What do you want?# Tessa asked the young man.

#Alex was right,# was what he said. #Remember? She used to tell us about how she came to Garden after her family was killed when the dead rose. A woman named Ada brought her and dropped her off. We used to laugh and call her a liar, but she was right.#

Her lips formed into a snarl, and Tessa unconsciously drew Adette closer in a protective embrace. Hunter noticed it but said nothing. #What gives you the right to talk about Alex? I ought to shoot you right now for even mentioning her name.#

Hunter sighed and sat across from the two women. #I know I screwed up with Alex. You were raped,# Tessa flinched at this, #and Alex tried to fix it. I didn't stop her and she got killed. Nobody blames me more than me. Not even you.#

"Hnn?" Adette muttered. The other two were quiet, but the sleeping girl continued to sleep.

#Hunter, you cannot justify your actions to me. You were her boyfriend, you could've gone with her.#

#No!# Hunter pointed a finger accusingly at Tessa. #It's your fault she's dead. If you hadn't of gotten drunk and gone off with that idiot Brit in the first...#

#You are not blaming my rape on me!# she hissed. #Just get the hell away from me before I throw you off of this vessel.#

#Fine,# Hunter said as he stood up. #But I'm not the one all over some _tocaro_ right now.#

Tessa snarled again and was about to attack when a pale hand pushed Hunter face first onto the deck. He yelped and Adette stirred, blinking back to consciousness. She moaned and looked up at Tessa, who looked down with a small smile on her face.

"_TOCARO_?" Fujin screamed in Hunter's ear as she dug her fingers into his shoulder. He howled again and the door to the control room burst open. Quistis and Irvine ran on deck, shock on their faces.

"Ow!" Hunter yelled as the grey-haired warrior drove her knee into his back. Tessa openly laughed as Quistis and Irvine pulled Fujin off, the woman giving Hunter one final kick in the side. "Is she insane?"

"What's going on?" Adette asked sleepily as she rubbed her bloodshot eyes. A few sticky strands of hair were brushed out of her face by Tessa's hand. "Huh?"

_Here goes nothing..._ Tessa told herself.

Hands covered with dry blood found their way onto Adette's cheeks. It could be easily seen where the tears had cut a path through the dirt on her face. "Adette, do you remember what happened in the cargo hold yesterday?"

"..." was the response.

Then Tessa's filthy lips met Adette's in a passionate kiss. It took the shorter girl by surprise, but she didn't pull away. Instead, her lips parted and she slid her tongue into the other's mouth, running it along the interior of Tessa's upper lip.

"Well, this day hasn't been a complete nightmare," Irvine said with a laugh. Quistis elbowed him in the stomach before he could say more, though.

"Damn _tocaros_," Hunter said before Fujin, breaking free of a distracted Quistis and Irvine, connected a boot with the back of his head.

"Umm..." Adette said as they finally parted. Tessa watched as her dark eyes flitted to the other people gathered around them. Irvine was staring at the girls from under the brim of his cowboy hat, waiting for more; Quistis was in shock, unsure of how to act; Fujin nodded approvingly at her friend; and Hunter muttered to himself, darkly glaring at the two girls. It was obvious to Tessa that he would be a problem if Adette and she were to have an actual relationship. "Could you guys excuse us?"

"Sure thing, ladies," Irvine said. He leaned down and grabbed Hunter by the collar, dragging away the gagging boy. Fujin and Quistis walked to the control room, leaving the girls alone.

"You said that you weren't a lesbian," Adette whispered. A greasy string of hair fell into her face, and Tessa reached forward to tuck it behind her ear. It was like they were back on the train.

"Hey," Tessa said with a giggle. "You said that you didn't know any lesbians. Don't pull that on me."

"Did you just... when did I... what?" Adette could say nothing coherent, so Tessa just leaned in and kissed her again. Softly, her tongue wetted the cracked skin of Adette's lips.

"Just forget it. All of it. We're alive, and we're right here. Don't over think things," Tessa whispered back. "It took me forever to get here. To realize how much you mean to me. I don't want to lose you, so just forget everything. We're on a blank page."

Tears sprang into Adette's eyes. "But she's dead. She was everything I had. I don't even have my ring anymore."

Tessa took Adette's grimy hands in her own and lifted them her to lips with a kiss. "You still have me. Hopefully, you always will. We have been through too much to give up right when we're starting."

Adette didn't answer. She just began bawling and slumped forward onto Tessa's shoulders. Once more, weary arms slipped around Adette. However, it was different. Whereas before it had been awkward and meant to comfort, now it was loving and warm.

**I told you loved her.**

_Fine, you were right. Now shut up. And thanks..._

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A/N: Aww, fuzzy, fluffy, cuteness. I know it's a short chapter, but hopefully it flowed nicely. If it didn't, then boo hoo. Oh well, so we have two couples now. Fujin and Hunter are _NOT_ getting together, that I can guarantee. But fans of my trademark pessimism need not despair (ironic, no?), there is much more sadness ahead. Also, Shinra, and the Blonde a.k.a. Elena, return soon.


	55. Chapter 53

Chapter Fifty-Three:

A/N: No opening notes this time.

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"I left behind everything I had," Tessa admitted to Adette later that night. For hours they had been talking, about themselves and each other.

Adette told of how she had grown up in Winhill (she didn't know Ellone or Raine), guided by her grandparents into a future of caring after the small item shop at the entrance of town. It seemed her parents had grown tired of caring for a child and simply taken off, leaving Adette with her father's parents. One day, when she was about ten, some Galbadian soldiers had come into the town to deal with widespread monster problem. Ever since then, she had been obsessed with fighting.

Much like the beginning of Adette's story, Tessa had also been abandoned by her parents. The faculty of Lotia Garden had simply awoken one morning to find a red-eyed, red-haired toddler asleep on the grounds. When the topic turned to her rape, Tessa changed the subject. It was obvious that it was one part of her life that she didn't want to flesh out.

"So you just up and left everything you knew to come to Balamb Garden?" was Adette's reply when Tessa had finished. "Surely you brought something with you."

"Well," Tessa said thoughtfully as she leaned back against the railing. "My friends Liana and Dave gave me a 'memory book' full of pictures and such, but it's back in my dorm. Most likely someone has died on it by now."

It was dark out and the moon was shining down on the waves that were lapping gently against the side of the vessel. The other four were already asleep, and lay on various parts of the deck. Quistis and Irvine were laying together, her arm thrown over his torso. Fujin had fallen asleep standing up, leaning against the wall of the control room. Last of all, Hunter had conked out at Fujin's feet, whimpering every few seconds as a pained look flashed across his face.

"Why are you always so negative?" Adette asked. "You never have anything good to say."

Tessa laughed, the first time she'd done so in awhile. "If you expect the worst out of life, you're never disappointed."

"Do you really believe that?"

All the redhead did was shrug and say, "I've never been proven wrong."

---

The next day was spent doing what Quistis called "inventory." They went through the cargo in the vessel, throwing what they had no use for overboard. Several electric lamps and computers slipped below the waves as the cargo hold was slowly shaped into a living space. Boxes were moved around to form makeshift walls so that there was some semblance of privacy.

One of the first things Quistis had done was kill the engines and turn on the radio. Her rationale was that, with what fuel they had and the girls' knowledge of what was happening in the nearby nations, there was no safe place to go. They would simply hope that someone would pick up on their frequency and rescue them. Secretly, Tessa thought the Instructor was hoping the mobile Trabia Garden would find and take care of them. Of course, it didn't seem likely that it would happen. Most likely the six of them would die of dehydration on the vessel before they made it anywhere safe.

"What's in that crate?" Quistis asked Irvine, who just happened to be lounging around on a large wooden box.

"How should I know? The thing's nailed shut and I don't have a hammer," was the cowboy's response. Rolling her eyes, Tessa looked to Adette.

"Here," Adette stood up and pulled a knife out of her back pocket. During the earlier bit of the morning, they had managed to find a case of rare hunting knives fastened from Ruby Dragon bones. "Try this."

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Irvine asked as he stared at the weapon in Adette's hand. "Why even bother doing this? We're going to land somewhere soon, anyway."

Tessa sighed and threw a loose piece of wood at the sharpshooter, hitting him in the leg. It didn't look like it hurt, but a commotion was made anyway. Quistis had to get between Irvine and Tessa, chastising them both. The redhead grumbled and went back to sorting what little food they had. Silently, Fujin was helping her. Hunter had requested radio duty, and Tessa had insisted he do it. There was something sinister in the way he would glare at Adette. It was almost like he hated her.

Fujin was actually calming to be around. She didn't press Tessa for questions about past like Adette, or mutter inaudible insults like Hunter. Hell, even the great Quistis Trepe had gotten onto Tessa's case about the kiss, informing her that such actions could result in her suspension from Garden. Of course, the Instructor realized that there was no more Garden and apologized, but that didn't matter. The damage had been done. The admiration of Instructor by student was gone. All Irvine did was tell dirty jokes and prod about who did what during sex. It wasn't that Tessa was uncomfortable with the questions, it was that she didn't know. Besides, Adette might not approve of telling people of their sexual history, not that they had one. No, Fujin was the best person for Tessa because so much was conveyed without saying a word. Silence was their gift to each other.

**You do know that Fujin is straight, right?**

_Yes,_ Tessa answered her GF. Shiva hadn't spoken to her in awhile, but the young warrior knew why. She felt that her work had been done in getting Tessa and Adette together, so now she could sit back and watch her work take fruition. _And before you ask, I'm not into her. Adette is all I need, right now._

**I don't like how you said "right now."**

_I don't like how you say anything,_ was Tessa's response. Of course, this start a whole new battle royale between GF and Host, which ended with Shiva declaring that she couldn't fade into the background until she was sue Tessa would be a good thing for Adette.

"Chuck it," Quistis said as she kicked the crate Irvine had previously been sitting on. "We have no use for gunblades, even of this quality. Nobody here knows how to use one."

"It's a shame," Irvine said with a whistle as he pulled two gunblades out of the crate, examining the trigger as meticulously as though it were one of his own firearms. "I'm sure Squall would have loved one."

Then came the awkward silence, crashing down on the five as though the deck overhead had collapsed. The only sound made was of Irvine sliding the gunblades back into crate. He was fully aware of every eye resting on him.

"I'll just, umm, go now," he said as he walked up the stairs to the deck. It was daytime by then, and small rays of sunlight lit up the cargo hold just enough for the four women to see what they were doing.

Tessa bit her lip, remembering the ordeal in the office. That was the first time she had used her limit break. Ever. Shiva told her that they become available whenever someone's life is in danger. Apparently, Tessa's limit break was known as the Sonic Cry. (A/N: Yes, I'm a fan of the Black Canary.) Squall's Firaga attack had been deflected by the growing electromagnetic static around her. What that had to do with magic was beyond the redhead's knowledge. She studied medicine, not physics.

"Are you okay?" Quistis asked, draping an arm around the girl's shoulder. "Do you need a break?"

No was Tessa's answer. She didn't say it, just shook her head. The tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes didn't have a chance to fall before she wiped them away. Adette didn't even move. She had heard of how the Garden's Commander had tried to kill her new lover. It still didn't seem possible.

Suddenly a great clamour arose as Hunter and Irvine ran down into the hull, looking extremely excited.

"WHAT?" asked Fujin with a yell. Of course, all Fujin did was yell, so no one was surprised.

"We've got them!" Irvine gushed. Behind him, Hunter nodded. Of course, his expression had become grim and settled on Adette again, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the news the cowboy had for everyone. "We have Trabia Garden on the radio!"

"Already?" Quistis asked, not completely believing it. Tessa didn't understand why, it was the best news that she'd gotten since leaving on her exam over a week before. "But my last transmission with the Trabian Headmaster suggested that they were in the Centra region, to the south. The equipment on this vessel isn't strong enough to make contact..."

"Instructor!" Adette interrupted. Her face, even when covered with dirt and grime, was lit up. "We're going to be rescued! Can't you just celebrate?"

Tessa saw the fingers itching at the whip on her side as Quistis nodded. The other four dashed up the stairs, leaving behind the Blonde and redhead. Of course, Fujin had momentarily looked at the two figures before heading upward herself.

"Antessence, you feel it, too. Don't you?" Quistis asked, looking at the crate full of gunblades that were still waiting to be discarded.

"No, I don't, Instructor," Tessa lied. She did feel the darkness rolling in on the survivors, but actively ignored it. And with that, she walked up the stairs to the deck.

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A/N: I know, it's a filler. I just didn't know what to write for this chapter. Sorry.


	56. Chapter 54

Chapter Fifty-Four:

A/N: Well, it's here. The return of Shinra to my macabre little tale. But first, it's the death of fledgling romance.

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The radio message had been short, just telling the six to stay put. A scout ship would soon be out to pick them up. Quistis had explained to the three students that Trabia Garden traveled with a series of small vessels and sent them out to make sure it was okay before they docked somewhere. Though why the Garden itself didn't pick them up she couldn't explain.

"We need to talk," Adette tapped Tessa on the shoulder and jerked her head in the direction of the other end of the vessel. The two girls left the other four behind without a word.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Tessa asked with a laugh before pecking Adette on the cheek. "How's your hand?"

Adette hung her head and fingered the bandage on her injured appendage. "It's fine. But what I'm trying to do is..."

"Hey, are you okay?"

"No," Adette looked up and her eyes were shining, like she was about to cry. "I'm not okay. We shouldn't be together. Not now, anyway. I'm still not over the Queen, and you haven't said a word about that Holt guy since I first kissed you. Then, last night, you said that it was fruitless to be happy. I don't know if I can be with someone like that."

_She calls her dead fiance "the Queen"?_ was Tessa's first thought. Shiva was oddly silent, which the redhead was thankful for.

"Tessa, we can't be an item right now. There's too much going on, too much history to get over. It's been less than twenty-four hours since I became a widow, so to speak. Maybe after this is all over, but not right now." There was a hint of a sob in Adette's voice, but Tessa was focused more on the words. Her fists were clenched in anger and she didn't trust herself to speak, so she stormed off.

_I can't believe that bitch!_ Tessa thought angrily as she stood at the other end of the vessel, staring into the water.

**Her fiance just died. Can't you show some sympathy?**

_My best friend was killed in front of my eyes, and I blew my roommate's brains out. Did anyone think to comfort me? Fuck you, Shiva. People die, and that's all there is to it._

Nothing more was said between the two entities sharing the same mind. Tessa just continued to stew until her thoughts turned to Holt, Aili, and Latasha. She didn't really care about the others. She hadn't known Tifa that long, and Rinoa had tried to kill her. All the medic wanted to know was why the world was falling apart around her. Everyone she knew was either dying or trying to kill her. There had been the lawyer in Galbadia City, Macone, after all. Even though the healing spells healed her, Tessa was still covered with scars that disfigured her face. Her right hand was healed, but something led her to keep it bandaged as if it were still injured.

#How are you?# the young man with white hair asked as he leaned next to Tessa. She ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth, feeling the plaque build-up on her teeth. If she ever made it to someplace safe, Tessa felt that she would have to spend an hour brushing her teeth. #I noticed your...# he spat as he said the word #girlfriend dumped you. Are you ready to allow me to show you what a real man can do?#

#I've said it before, and I'll say it again: fuck off , Hunter,# Tessa answered bitterly. #Now is not the time.#

#When will it be my time?# Hunter asked. #When all of the other _tocaros_ are dead?#

Tessa jerked her elbow back, hitting Hunter in the face. He cried out and grabbed his nose, blood flowing between his fingers. She savoured his pain.

---

"And we're rescued!" Irvine said happily as he pulled Quistis in for a kiss, making the usually reserved Instructor blush. Tessa rolled her eyes and watched as the sleek, black vessel pulled up alongside their own. Several men and women in SeeD uniforms stood at the railing, obviously hoping to see just who had survived the slaughtering of Balamb Garden.

"I am going to take a shower and see if I can get something to eat that _isn't_ dried," Hunter said nasally, still holding his nose from where Tessa had struck him. "But I shall get this treated first."

The others said nothing as a small bridge connected the two vessel. Hunter was the first to board the new vessel, and one by one the weary survivors walked to safety. Tessa was second-to-last, trailed by a silent Fujin.

"Welcome aboard the Trabian vessel _Illarra_ (A/N: I stole the name from one of the badass villains from Peptuck's amazing fic "Legacy of the Chimera." You can find a link in my profile) of the Trabian Garden scouts," one SeeD as he helped Hunter step onto the vessel. Of course everyone accepted help onto the vessel with the obvious exception of Tessa, who mumbled something about chivalry being a chauvinist pig's milk and honey.

There was a surprising amount of people onboard the vessel, and the six survivors were immediately descended upon as the young men and women asked them questions about what had happened. Well, to be more accurate, Irvine and Quistis were asked questions since they were already famous. The people who too put off by the glowering Tessa and Fujin, and Hunter was doing more flirting than briefing. Adette had managed to retreat to a small section of the vessel where she could be left alone.

It was an hour before Tessa figured out that the vessel wasn't going south toward Trabia Garden, which is the direction that Quistis had said it was stationed in. In fact, the vessel was headed west, toward...

"Junon," she said under her breath. It couldn't be, they couldn't have found them. Why would they even be looking? Surely they believed her to be dead. Then again, Tessa didn't even know why they wanted her. All she had was what Squall had said before he attacked her:

_My relationship with Shinra is nothing like yours._

**I have a bad feeling.**

Tessa share the GFs sentiments, and approached Quistis. The Instructor was the most professional and analytical person she knew, surely she would have some ideas to what they should do. And with what Squall and Shiva had told her about Garden's involvement with Shinra.

"Instructor, we need to talk," Tessa said, grabbing Quistis and pulling her away from an adoring group of SeeDs.

"What is it?" Quistis asked. She seemed very relaxed, very contrary to the nervousness she had shown earlier in the day.

"I think we're heading into a trap," Tessa responded with a whisper and a glance at the nearest batch of SeeDs. "Something is of. I think these guys are under Shinra's thumb."

"Why would we need to fear Shinra?" Quistis asked, apparently not remembering the details of what Tessa had said after Squall tried to kill her.

Unfortunately, Quistis didn't get her answer, as both women were grabbed from behind and needles were shoved into their arms. Tessa pushed her attacker off, but immediately felt woozy. She had been drugged, and fell to the deck unconscious a second later.

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A/N: Another short filler, I know, but hopefully the next (official) chapter will be worth it. I think it's really good, but I know someone will end up hating me for it. If not all of you.


	57. Hunter's Eyes II

Hunter's Eyes II:

A/N: I do apologize about the last few chapters, I realize that they were absolute crap, and this one may not be the best either. Still, chapter 55 will blow all others out of the water. I just love keeping you waiting.

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The white-haired youth shook his head and stared at his feet. It was still beyond his comprehension what all had happened. First the dead rose and killed the living, devouring their victims. Then he and about twenty other survivors had barricaded themselves in the administration building. Not long after that, Antessence showed up. He still wasn't sure how she'd done it. The girl had more lives than a Mage did spells. And soon after that, cabin fever set in.

Squall Leonhart, _the Squall Leonhart_, had attacked the redhead while she attempted to give him a report on the outcome of her exam. Considering that she had come back alone, Hunter took it to be that it did not go well. However, Squall was stopped and Antessence lived. Momentarily, the offspring of two famous Mages wondered just what had become of the Commander of Balamb Garden. He had been left behind unconscious, unjunctioned, and unarmed, after all. Hunter quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind.

Yes, Antessence had arrived and informed the others that could escape on a vessel she had docked at the Balamb Marina. So began the disastrous escape, only four survivors, excluding Antessence and himself, even made it to the vessel. Unfortunately, one of them, a young man Hunter didn't know, had been bitten. He died before he could, though. Irvine shot him.

On the vessel, waiting for them, was another girl his age. Eventually he figured out that she was a _tocaro_ and he said so to Antessence. Then the woman with grey hair and an eye-patch, Fujin, attacked him. That was when Antessence kissed the _tocaro_, and it shocked the hell out of Hunter.

The prison area the survivors were being kept in was silent, with the exception of the occasional sob. Hunter knew that his comrades were panicked and frightened but he believed that they, much like he, were probably thinking.

His cell wasn't at all what he had been expecting. Traditionally, they were garbage-filled holes, but these were different. The walls, floor, and ceiling were painted a light blue and, instead of iron bars, the door was stainless steel with a window constructed of two inches of bullet-proof glass. The bed had a mattress and pillow stuffed with soft chocobo feathers, and there was even a working sink and toilet parallel to the bed!

After thinking it over, Hunter came to conclude that everything was the fault of Antessence. Whatever it was that happened at Balamb Garden had conveniently occurred while she was on her exam, and then the rescue from the vessel by Shinra. They had to have been after her for something she did on her exam, there was no one explanation. He knew that his rationalizations weren't logical, but Hunter Vance didn't care. Someone needed to be blamed, and at the moment all of is suspicions were placed solely on her.

"Who's over there?" a woman called, presumably from the cell next to Hunter's. He perked up and ginned. Even though he was in "prison," he could still impress the ladies.

"Why, it is I, Hunter," he said, playing up his accent. The woman speaking was doing so in Galbadian, meaning it was most likely one of his companions from the vessel. Still, he did fashion himself to be a ladies' man in the image of the infamous Irvine Kinneas. He _had _to give it a shot. "Which lovely lady am I currently conversing with?"

"Mr. Vance," the woman answered back with an authoritative tone, "this is Instructor Trepe. I would appreciate you taking this situation seriously; plan something, some kind of escape."

"This is the Shinra. There is no escape," Hunter replied with a sigh. "We're unarmed and unjunctioned. I'm surprised we can even hear each other through the wall."

"That's right, this is Shinra," Quistis said thoughtfully. At least, that's how it sounded to Hunter. "Then the guards are armed with Materia in addition to weapons. If we can get our hands on some of that..."

"Instructor?" Hunter was thinking about something he had heard his first day at Balamb Garden.

"Yes?"

"Antessence once remarked that you were a Blue Mage." It was a statement, not a question.

"That's correct," Quistis answered with a chuckle. "Why do you ask?"

"Then maybe, if you really are a Blue Mage, you can blast open your door with some magic."

Another chuckle came from Quistis. "I can only do Blue Magic with my limit breaks. What about you, Mr Vance? You are a descendent of a famous family of Mages. Perhaps, you could do something."

Hunter thought hard about a spell he could use, but nothing came to mind. When he wondered about why that was, a flash filled his mind and he tumbled off of his bed and onto the floor, holding his pained head.

"Mr. Vance?"

He didn't answer, just continued to hold his head and bite his lip to keep from crying.

"Mr. Vance!" Quistis shouted, her voice tinged with concern.

"I'm fine," Hunter yelled back, catching his breath. He wondered what had happened. "I don't think we'll be able to escape with my powers, though."

Before Quistis could inquire as to why, a woman's screams interrupted them. "Stop! Let me go! Help! Somebody help me, please!"

A clamour rose from the captives, the loudest being a woman yelling "NO!" at the top of her voice. The guards said nothing, but Hunter heard the click of a gun being cocked. The sobs o the woman faded as she was led away, then cut off with the echoing sound of a steel door being closed.

Then, once again, the captives were silent.

---

An alarm going off woke him, pulling Hunter from a dream where he enjoyed the delights of "conversation" with Quistis Trepe. Shortly after that, he heard the stomping of boots as the guards stationed outside the captives' cells ran by.

Hunter stood up and sprinted the three feet to the door of his cell, so that he could look out the window. Two guards opened the large steel door that led out of the incarceration-area, only to be met with gunfire. Hunter pressed his face to the glass, but he couldn't discern who was fighting with the guards.

"Intruder alert," a mechanical voice began to drone. The voice sounded bored, as though it were giving instructions on the application of physics to poetry. "Intruder alert."

He saw the last guard grab his chest with one hand, the other still holding onto a pistol. The dying man's fingers pulled the trigger as fell, spasming, and one of the bullets struck the window in front of Hunter. The white-haired youth cried out and fell back in fear. The glass didn't shatter, though, and he remembered that it was bullet-proof. He stood and examined the glass: it had cracked and a bullet was lodged in it, but the window held.

"Help us!" he yelled as he pounded on the door trying to get the attention of whomever it was that had killed the guards. Seconds later, a whirring noise sounded and the door to Hunter's cell opened. That was when the young man found himself face to face one of Shinra's (other) famous experiments: Vincent Valentine.

"You must leave," Vincent said, a sucking noise accompanying his speech. It wasn't hard to figure out why, though, since his mouth was wired shut. Then the former Turk looked oddly at Hunter, as though he knew him.

"Thank you, Vincent," Quistis said as she calmly stepped out of her own cell. "It has been awhile since the Arklay Conventions, no?"

"Ah, Miss Trepe, what brings you here?" Vincent asked with a bow. He was wearing a tattered red cape that fell over his face as he bowed.

"I could ask you the same question," Quistis responded. "As it stands, I'm not entirely sure myself."

"I am here with Yuffie to see if Shinra has any information on the whereabouts of Tifa and Barret. Cid has been missing as well."

"Where is Yuffie?" Quistis asked as the other prisoners emptied into the hallway.

Vincent attempted a smile, but it only made him appear more grotesque. "The young lady is right here. Yuffie?"

Silently, a girl a couple of years younger than Hunter dropped to the floor from somewhere above. She had long black hair tied held out of her face by a white headband. Confused, Hunter looked up and saw that there was a long series of pipes on the ceiling. While he was looking elsewhere, Yuffie spoke. "Do these wimps have any Materia?"

"That's the thing," Quistis explained. "We have no weapons or GFs, which means no way to escape."

"Do you have anyone with experience in firearms?" Vincent asked. Hunter looked around, still trying to understand what was happening. The only other people in the hallway were Irvine and Fujin, but nobody else had noticed.

"Two, actually," Quistis answered. "Irvine Kinneas and Adette Berna."

Irvine tipped his hat in agreement, and then the others realized that Tessa and Adette were gone.

"WHERE?" Fujin shouted, wondering what had become of her friend.

"They... they are gone," Hunter said, looking around. "Do you think that they could have been who the guards drug away earlier?"

"You say the Shinra took some of your people?" Vincent asked. He reached into his cape and produced a handgun. The subject of countless experiments tossed it to Irvine, who looked it over. "Tifa gave me that shortly after we met. It's called a _Peacemaker_ and she said that she picked it up in a town by Midgar called Kalm. Make good use of it."

"Will do," Irvine said as he nodded.

"ADETTE!" Fujin shouted, getting the attention of everyone once more.

"Don't forget Antessence," Hunter added, forgetting that moments earlier he had been blaming his entire predicament on her.

Vincent turned to Yuffie, causing his cape to flutter behind him. "I want you to escort these four out of here. I will complete this mission on my own."

"NO!" Fujin shouted angrily.

"The lady's right," Irvine said as he twirled his new handgun. "We can't just leave our others behind. Fujin and I will go with you, and Yuffie can get Quistis and the boy out."

"I am Hunter Vance, not 'the boy'," Hunter said indignantly.

"Of the Corel Vances?" Yuffie said with wide eyes. "Geez, no wonder they don't need Materia."

"Why should you stay?" Quistis asked Irvine as she poked him in the chest with a finger. He put an arm around her waist before dipping her and planting a kiss on her lips.

"You know I could never leave a lady behind." Irvine winked. "Now you two get out of here."

Vincent reached once more into his cape and produced two small stones. One was yellow, the other green. "I am aware of your Blue Mage status, Miss Trepe. My former association with Shinra has taught me that Mages can use Materia to enhance their magical capabilities. Perhaps this Enemy Skill Materia will do the same."

"Thank you," Quistis said as she took the stones. "What is the green one?"

"It is Restore Materia, grown to the Regen level," Vincent said. "I wish you two well. If we are going, then it should be now before we are caught and incarcerated ourselves. Farewell, Miss Trepe."

"Goodbye, Vincent," Quistis said as she broke away from Irvine and hugged Vincent. Then she turned to Hunter and handed him the Restore Materia. "I know it's against the Mage bylaws, but so is being a SeeD. I won't tell if you won't."

_How odd,_ Hunter thought as he followed the others out the door, his fingers closed around the Materia in his hand. They came to another hallway, and the two groups split up: one on a rescue mission, and the other attempting escape. Hunter just hoped that he would get out in one piece.

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A/N: See, FFVII heroes. I told you. But this chapter kind of stunk, didn't it? I guess it's just harder to write from a perspective other than Tessa's. Well, at least the next chapter is from hers, so it should be better. (Even if I don't have the best track record lately.)


	58. Chapter 55

Chapter Fifty-Five:

A/N: Life's been hard lately, so only one chapter this update. I recently graduated fromhigh school and had my grandmother's funeral today.

This is, quite possibly, the darkest and longest chapter I've written. Yet, it explains most of what's happened so far while adding new elements to this fic. Please don't hate me for how it ends.

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Tessa awoke with a jerk, a painful throbbing behind her eyes. She was blinded by a white light and held up a hand to block it. A blurriness surrounded her, and at first she feared that she was having vision problems. But as her eyes adjusted to the light, she became aware that she was encased in a large cylinder of glass. Lights were set above and below her, separated from Tessa by another layer of glass.

At first, she couldn't see anything beyond the glass. Aching with every sluggish movement, Tessa crawled across the transparent floor and pressed a hand to the curved wall to see just how solid it was. It was cool to the touch, and as she slid her hand to the floor in defeat the outside became luminous.

"Remember me?"The voice was one that Tessa had hoped had hoped to never hear again. A dark blue suit, blonde hair, and a hand encased in a glove of black leather. Elena stood just on the other side of the cylinder. Her face was twisted into a victorious sneer. Balled fists pounded the glass in triumph. "I finally have you!"

"Crazy bitch," Tessa muttered. She was surprised that she could hear the Blonde.

"What was that?" Elena asked with mock kindness. "I'm a crazy bitch, huh? Well, this 'crazy bitch' has a little present for you."

Elena raised her naked hand, snapping her fingers. The tall black man from Timber, the one with the sunglasses, strode into the room. Tessa gasped when she saw just what, or, rather, who, he had in tow.

"Let her go!" the medic demanded, ignoring hr pain as she pounded on the glass with clenched fists.

"But don't you want your present?" Elena drawled in her Junionian accent. They were speaking Galbadian, and it never occurred to Tessa as to why they weren't conversing in their native tongue. "I even wrapped it up for you."

Indeed, Adette had her hands bound behind her back and her feet were in heavy-looking metal shackles. Grey duct tap was stretched over her mouth, and her face was turned down to the floor.

"What do you want? She's never done anything to you!" Tessa screamed, clawing desperately at the glass It was one thing to and incarcerate a woman. It was another to mess with her "ex."

"So, you do like it?" Elena said cheerfully as she grabbed Adette from Rude and threw the guns expert to the floor. "It's been handled a little roughly, but it should still work."

Adette rolled off her side and onto her back, her chest heaving in the air. Tears streaked her face and it nearly broke Tessa's heart.

"This is Adette, right?" Elena asked as he kicked the girl at her feet. Adette squealed in pain and Tessa punched the glass again, her knuckles bouncing off painfully. "If I remember correctly, you two got it on a couple of times. Nice and kinky."

_How did she know that?_ Tessa asked herself. Surprisingly, Shiva didn't answer. The girl grew worried and her hand flew to her neck, feeling only chafed skin. The collar was gone.

As if sensing the thoughts running through the trapped girl's mind, Elena reached into one of the pockets and produced the collar. Both the half heart charm and Shiva dangled in the light. Elena smirked before sticking it back into her pocket. "Anything can be a microphone, even a collar worn by a bitchy SeeD."

"Jayne?" Tessa couldn't believe that her smoking buddy was involved with Shinra.

"The woman you knew as _Jayne_ was the first female member of SOLDIER. Unfortunately, we lost contact with her shortly after the fall of Balamb," another character in a blue suit said as he stepped into the room. Reno hadn't changed much since the incident in the alleyway back at Timber. "It's a shame, too. I would have liked to fuck her. Too damn bad she was a damn _tocaro_."

Elena and Reno both laughed at this, but Rude simply glared at Tessa before exiting. Then the Blonde grabbed Adette by the hair and forced the battered captive to stand. When she didn't do so fast enough, Elena drove her knee into the girl's back.

"Leave her alone!" Tessa cried. She felt utterly helpless in viewing the other girl's obvious torture. "What did she do? I'm the one who burned your fucking hand! What does s have to do with this? What do I have to do with this?"

"Tell you what," Elena said with an evil glint in her eye. "I'll answer your first question. The girl is important to you. That's why she's here. You tell me why you're here, but for every wrong guess she loses a finger."

"Elena..." Reno tried to warn, but she ignored him.

"I'm not doing that, you psychopath," Tessa screamed.

Elena laughed and pulled a switchblade out of her shirt pocket. "Wrong answer."

Adette's eyes grew wide and even the duct tape couldn't silence the scream as a digit fell to the floor. Elena held up the reddened knife and laughed. Reno grabbed his associate's shoulder in concern, but she jerked free.

"Next answer!" Elena screamed madly, waving the bloody blade in Tessa's direction.

"Stop!" Reno shouted. "You're losing it!"

"Lose what?" Elena whirled around, dragging a wincing Adette with her. "My promotion? My reputation? I already have, thanks to _that_ bitch!"

Tessa continued to hit the glass and beg. "Let Adette go!"

"That's another wrong answer," Elena snarled. The lustrous blade thrashed once more as a thumb fell to the floor.

"Stop it!" Reno shouted again. He reached out and grabbed Elena's knife hand. In retaliation, she lashed out with her free one. It struck the shocked man, and he let go.

"We're Turks," the Blonde told her partner. Vaguely, the word flashed in Tessa's mind. Somewhere, she had heard the word before. "We never lose!"

"Fuck this," Reno muttered, skulking out of the room. He closed a door, one Tessa hadn't noticed in her fear, behind him. Only three women were left to occupy the room, as far as Tessa knew.

"Reno was right. Fuck this," Elena laughed. During the scuffle between the Blonde and her fellow Turk, Adette had fallen to the floor. Tears dripped off her face as rapidly as blood did from her hands. Elena grabbed Adette's hair and jerked her head back up. The serrated edge of the knife was held to the teenager's quivering neck. "One last guess, my lovely, caged bird."

"I don't know," Tessa sobbed. "Please don't kill her."

"I'll tell you," Elena said with another maniacal grin. The blade was pushed tightly against Adette's skin, and blood trickled down her neck as it broke. However, she was still alive. "It began with a pharmaceuticals company known as Umbrella. It was based in a remote city in the mountains around Corel. I believe it was called Raccoon City."

"It was," another woman's voice cut in. Tessa looked to the now-open door and saw a middle-aged blonde woman in a red dress that was far too young for someone her age.

"President Scarlet!" Elena gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Scarlet covered her mouth with a hand before chuckling softly. "I came to see if our escaped experiment had awoken yet."

"Experiment?" Tessa said quietly. "You experimented on me while I was unconscious?"

"No, my dear," Scarlet replied as she strode up to the containment unit. "You _are_ the experiment. You were created here, in our labs. The first breakthrough of our post-Hojo cloning project."

"I'm a clone?"

"Yes. Because of you, we found that we could recreate those who had died, like Hojo did Sephiroth. We bought Umbrella shortly after that, and found their T-Virus research. You were infected with it to see the results it would bear, but..."

"Something went wrong," Tessa finished. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was a clone? Of whom? It didn't seem possible.

"Indeed, something went wrong."

"What was it, Madam President?" Elena asked loudly. Clearly, she did not appreciate being ignored.

"All in good time," was the answer from the president of Shinra. "There's more our two guests might want to know."

It seemed to Tessa that Blondes were inherently evil now, but she didn't voice her thoughts.

"We attempted once more to clone Sephiroth; minus the Jenova cells, of course. The results were mixed. The clone was inept when it came to physical combat, but it could wield magic with great efficiency. Oddly enough, the clone had white hair rather than grey."

The description was horribly familiar to Tessa. The word slipped out of her before she even thought to stifle it: "Hunter?"

"Is that what it calls itself?" Scarlet chimed with mock surprise. "Yes, your _Hunter_ is the clone of Sephiroth. He's still in lockup, since we don't need him right now. He wasn't injected with the T-Virus, which is why you're here with the other clones. You're much more interesting."

"Other clones?" Tessa wasn't even processing all of the information anymore. She looked to Adette, who seemed unable, or unwilling, to make eye contact. Scarlet laughed and walked to a nearby console. Her fingers brushed over a few buttons and she pushed a lever up. There was whirring of electricity, and containment units exactly like Tessa's lit on her left and right. On the left was girl with long, brown hair that covered her face. She was naked and curled into a fetal position. To the right was a man a few years older than Tessa, also with brown hair, but he had his back to her. He also had brown hair, and was wearing a SeeD uniform.

Tessa looked down at her own attire. Gone was the flannel and jeans. Now she was wearing a Lotia Garden student uniform.

"Where did you get this? Who are they?" Tessa screamed, grabbing the front of her shirt with one hand and pointing at the unconscious people around her with the other.

Elena laughed and Scarlet smirked.

"The young man is our second clone of the late Squall Leonhart, the first is stationed at Balamb Garden. The original didn't stand a chance against two of our best Turks," Scarlet said with a chuckle. Elena smiled proudly, showing off a row of tobacco stained teeth. "And the young lady next to you is our copy of the last surviving Ancient, Aeris Gainborough."

"You're lying! You haven't even explained where you got this uniform from. I wasn't created in some lab, I grew up at Lotia Garden!" Tessa said as she cast a quick glance at a frightened Adette.

"Oh my, how do I explain this?" Scarlet said sarcastically as she pressed another series of buttons. For the length of a minute, the glass around Tessa hummed and images from her mind, her memories, appeared on the translucent walls. Dave and Liana laughed as Tessa sat next to them on a large boulder, posing as someone snapped a photo. Then a man with his face hidden in shadow was humping a screaming twelve-year-old redhead. When the real Tessa started screaming, the visions disappeared and was replaced once more with clear glass. Scarlet leered once more at Tessa before beckoning Elena to bring Adette to her.

Adette was drug across the dirt floor, by the console where Scarlet stood. The knife was still held tightly against her throat. The steel dug deeper in the girl's throat. Red lines that had been trailing down her front grew thicker and darker. Her cheeks grew wetter. She was pale, as though all of the colour had drained from her face and out with the blood. It probably had. Still, Tessa knew that the injuries weren't fatal. Yet.

"What are you going to do to her?" Tessa asked in a pleading voice as she came to the realization that her entire life had been fabricated.

"You'll see soon enough," was Scarlet's reply. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the president produced a small pocket-knife. She hacked away at Adette's filthy blouse, leaving the sharpshooter topless. Under normal circumstances, Tessa would've been awed by the sight before her. However, at that moment she was fearing for her former lover.

"Please... don't..." cried the redhead as large tears began rolling down her cheeks. Elena's grin grew terribly wide at that, and she pressed a little deeper into Adette with her own knife.

"This," Scarlet said as she pressed the edge of her small blade to Adette's temple, "represents your brain. it's the site where we drilled into you and injected the T-Virus. Upon further experimentation, we found that your learning capabilities surpassed that of all the other clones, except for Sephiroth's. We still haven't explained that one, but we soon will. We know it isn't from the T-Virus, Mako, or Jenova cells, since it wasn't injected with them. I apologize, I'm getting away from my story..."

The blade slid from Adette's temple, along the length of her face, and stopped just under one of her eyes. Adette closed both and whimpered.

"Would you like for me to explain your unique eye colour?" Even though Tessa didn't answer verbally, her hand flew to touch one of her eyelids. Scarlet noticed this and continued. "The T-Virus mutated your DNA, including the chromosome that determines eye colour. In fact, it makes all infected creature's eyes turn red by rushing blood into the irises. But your mutation is incomplete. We had wanted to study and see what else we could determine about you, but then you and the clone of Sephiroth managed to escape.

"We used external exposure to Mako to age all of our clones, which is how you were able to blend in. We used to contacts in the Garden Network to get you admitted so that we could observe your interactions with real humans, but the other clone had somehow disappeared. But when he arrived a few months after you, we knew that we had the perfect opportunity to retrieve our experiments. We had an agent watching you, but then you had to go on that precious exam of yours, so we bugged you.

"Elena had tried once, a few weeks after your arrival to retrieve you for us, but failed." Elena's face darkened at these words and she thrust back painfully against Adette, increasing the amount of blood that spilled onto her chest. "Then there were two other attempts: one at the Balamb Train Station, and then in Timber. We were going to let them believe that you chickened out and went AWOL. But you slipped through our Turks' fingers yet again, and made it to Galbadia City. We were afraid that we had lost you there. All of the other clones we injected with the T-Virus ended up as brain-dead as those creatures that had taken over the capital of Galbadia. Of course, we were the ones that started the situation in that city after they uncovered some of our cloning research in Midgar, but I'm getting off track again."

"What about the train? There were Rots on the train," Tessa choked out. She was frightened by the insane reality that they were telling her.

"They had tested a modified version of the T-Virus on our newest Turk, a young man named Emer," Elena said, speaking up again. She looked to Scarlet, who nodded her approval. "He was to wait on the train and apprehend should I..."

"Fail," Scarlet interjected when Elena couldn't finish her sentence. "You failed, and you were punished."

"Yes," Elena said angrily, and Tessa could see her grind her teeth. "He was supposed to apprehend you, but I gather he fell to the experimental new virus and became one of those things."

"What about Alex?" Tessa whispered, but the other three still heard her. Adette opened her eyes and stared at Tessa in shock. She had heard the name before, but didn't know the story behind it. Of course, it was a mistake to open her eyes, but Adette didn't know that.

"Don't you know? You're Alex," Scarlet said simply as she jabbed her small knife into Adette's eye. A piercing, haunting wail made its way through the duct tape over Adette's mouth. The guns expert twisted in her various binds as Scarlet deliberately twisted her knife around, doing as much damage as she could before withdrawing her blade. Bits of eye, blood, and other fluids came out with the knife and continued to fall down the wounded girl's face. Scarlet glared at Tessa, who vomited. She wasn't sure what disturbed her more: Scarlet's words, or her actions. Of course, the president continued to talk. "Oh, I'm so sorry, it just slipped."

"Stop! Why are you doing this to her?" Tessa cried out as though the pain and torture were her own. "She's done nothing to you. Please, just leave her alone. You can kill me if you want, just not her!"

"Haven't you been listening? You're too valuable to kill," Scarlet chuckled again. She cleaned the knife by wiping the blade on Adette's bare chest. Another life of red, outlined by gore, followed the sharp steel as it sliced through the soft flesh. "She isn't, and you need to be punished for running away. What better way to do so that by breaking your precious little toy? Besides, it wouldn't do for her to survive after hearing all of our little secrets."

"Can I kill her?" Elena asked, her voice filled with bloodlust. "All it would take it one..."

"Not yet," Scarlet said with a wave of her hand. "We still have some use for her."

"Touch her again, and I'll kill you!" Tessa screamed. Ignoring her own pain, she stood up and kicked the glass. But rather than it shattering, or even cracking, the glass stood firm and Tessa fell onto her backside. Elena laughed loudly at this, but Scarlet maintained a subdued chuckle.

"I didn't get to become president by quivering under idle threats," Scarlet boasted. She flipped the knife around so that she was holding it in a stabbing position, and then drove the knife into Adette's stomach. When blood spilled out and onto her arm, Scarlet tutted and shook the crimson liquid from her hand. "And I just got this dress dry-cleaned, too."

"You're dead!" Tessa screamed at the top of her voice. "I'm going to get out of here, and strangle the life out of you, Bitch!"

Scarlet stabbed Adette in the stomach again, and Elena laughed as the girl began to tremble from the pain and blood loss. "Haven't you figured it out by now? We _own_ you. Nobody can stop us!"

"AVALANCHE did," Tessa countered. With her one good eye, Adette looked at Tessa. She was begging the redhead to stop, but she wouldn't. "They kicked this company's ass, and I will, too."

"Shut up!" Scarlet screamed as she drove her own knife into Adette's chest. She looked coldly at Elena with a nod. "Do it, kill her!"

Finally releasing her frustration, Elena pulled the blade as far back as she could and ripped the knife across Adette's throat. As blood flowed out of the gaping wound, Tessa's eyes met Adette's. The redhead kissed her hand and held it to the glass before whispering, "I'm sorry, but now we're both free. I love you."

Adette attempted one last shuddering breath before choking on the blood caught in her throat and falling into unconsciousness. Scarlet glared at Tessa with admiration. "You are perfect for this organization," the president said as she dropped her knife and clapped her hands, "you actually had me kill her so that she wouldn't suffer anymore. Ruthless, vicious, smart: I love those qualities in you. Yet, you also feel pity and remorse. I can tell from the look on your face. That can change, though."

"FUCK YOU!" Tessa screamed at the top of her voice. "FUCK YOU ALL!"

"Oh, darling, you're the one that's fucked now," Scarlet said. "You don't have anything left."

Tessa, even through her pain and sorrow, managed a broken smile. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Wrong. All that means is that I have nothing left to lose."

Before anymore words could be exchanged, an alarm began blaring and the two Blondes looked around the room in confusion. Scarlet looked at Tessa and strode out of the room, followed by Elena. Tessa just collapsed against the glass wall and covered her face with her hands as she cried.

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A/N: I know it doesn't answer all of your questions. (You probably went WTF when Scarlet told Tessa that she was Alex.) Yes, Adette really is dead. And she won't be brought back or cloned, not even if I do a sequel. As for the Squall back at Balamb Garden being a clone... did you really think Squall Leonhart capable of doing any of that?


	59. Chapter 56

Chapter Fifty-Six:

A/N: Screw my rules. This chapter is told from Irvine and Fujin's POVs, since I couldn't make it work with Tessa or Hunter. Anyway, enjoy! And thanks for the reviews.

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The cowboy liked the heft of his new firearm. It was similar to that of his shotgun Valiant, which had been taken from him when the group was captured and imprisoned. The new weapon was an antique, and Irvine considered this as he checked the ammunition in it. Nine bullets waiting to fly out the barrel and into an enemy. He savoured the feeling as he slid the Peacemaker into the inside pocket of his tan duster. Irvine was slightly surprised that he still had his favourite garment. let alone the hat perched on the top of his head.

He didn't know why, but he was in the Junon headquarters of the infamous Shinra corporation. Add in the fact that he was accompanied by Vincent Valentine, the former Turk and owner of Peacemaker, and Fujin, the only person who could give Squall a run for his money in the silence department, in an attempt to find a couple of girls within the large base...

_What the hell happened?_ he asked himself as the trio rounded a corner and into an empty hallway. Less than a week before, he had been a normal life. As normal a life as one could have while being a SeeD, that is. On one hand he had Selphie and his missions which everyone saw, but on the other he held a secret that had often caused Selphie to lose control and viciously attack any girl that even dared to look in his direction. Selphie believed that Irvine was cheating on her and she wouldn't stand for it. She was right. For about six months, Irvine had been sneaking around with her best friend, Quistis Trepe.

Now, Selphie was dead and, Irvine thanked whatever deity was out there, the small warrior had stayed that way. The memories of Raijin tearing out her throat and Squall ramming his gunblade through her head still caused small shivers to travel up his spine. A quick glance at Fujin, the only surviving member of the former Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee, left him mystified. Her only friends, Raijin and Seifer, were dead. He'd heard Seifer tell Tessa, one of the missing girls, that the other missing girl, Adette, was a friend of theirs as well. The Galbadian guessed that the reason Fujin wasn't escaping with Quistis, hunter, and Yuffie was a sense of loyalty to the dark-haired girl.

Irvine grew up at Galbadia Garden, which didn't use GFs. Instead, the SeeDs were trained in using Materia as their source of magic. He hadn't junctioned once after the final battle with Ultimecia and was never very proficient in Materia, one of his few professed character flaws. Fujin, having no weapon with which to defend herself, had no trouble in accepting the offered Ice Materia.

Odd as it was, the silent girl was the one leading the group. Common sense would dictate that Vincent do it, but Fujin seemed to know precisely where she was going. It was almost as though she had been there before...

Shaking his head, Irvine rationalized that it wasn't possible. _How could she know? She's never been here before._

"Halt!" a rough male yelled, snapping the cowboy out of his thoughts. He looked ahead and saw a group of five men in blue uniforms with black masks over their faces. At least, he believed they were men.

He reach for Peacemaker, but the men were dead before he even had it drawn. A series of large icicles, slowly turning red with the soldiers' blood, stuck out of each man's chest. Fujin lowered her hand, which was clasping a still-glowing Materia. Without even a second thought, she stormed past the corpses, leaving the other two to keep up.

---

Her eye swept across the expanse before her, and she fought down nausea. It had been four years since she was last in Junon, and the memories hadn't been pleasant ones. Seifer and the others had grown up together: first in the orphanage, then at Garden. Raijin hadn't been an orphan, but his abusive father sent him off to Garden just to get him away. Yet, Fujin's own past was much darker than that of her friends and enemies from during the war.

"Where are we going?" Irvine asked as he and Vincent caught up to her. The short woman grimaced but looked straight ahead. No words escaped her lips, something she had excelled at. She learned long ago that noise did nothing to end the pain, so she might as well be silent.

Another hallway, another battle. This one was full of soldiers and would take more than a simple spell from the Materia in her grasp to finish. She ducked and weaved beneath bullets and spells, firing off her own with unbelievable accuracy. A soldier rushed her and she spun, grabbing a knife from his belt and returning it to him a second later with a deep thrust. he fell to the floor, holding his abdomen as the silver-haired one stepped over him and let off another series of frigid magic. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vincent and Irvine trading fire with the soldiers as she pressed ahead. Another soldier approached, a kick to his head threw him back, and he stopped moving. She reached down, pulled something off him, and lobbed it into the middle of the opposition. A second later an explosion rocked the building as the grenade went off. Bodies were vaporized and appendages flew in every direction. Blood and other bodily fluids showered the warrior as she stood still and glared at something at the end of the hallway. When the smoke cleared, a single doorway could be seen at the end of the hall.

A look of benign fear crossed her face. She balled her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her palms and the rough edges of the Materia caused one hand to bleed as she skin was cut away. With one foot in front of the other, she strode toward the door. The words of her two companions were ignored. Fujin raised the Materia to shoulder-level and aimed it at the door. However, instead of large icicles like before, a cold wind blew out of her hand and a frost covered the door. Then she stepped right up to the mass of metal and kicked it, causing it to shatter like glass.

The images played again in her mind, and they matched the scene before her. Three cylindrical glass containment units that housed one person each. The bright lights set in the base and top of them, illuminating the subjects inside. However, there hadn't been a dead girl lying by the console that operated all of the cylinders' functions the last time she was there. There was something familiar about her, but before Fujin could investigate, another girl's voice rang out through the world. Even through the wiring of the almost invisible microphones imbedded in the glass units, the pain rang out cold and clear.

"That's her."

Fujin whirled around and her eye widened in surprise as she looked into the face of the one that had caused all of the catastrophes thus far, whether intentional or not. Even though her skin had been cleaned and was once again oddly pale, much like Fujin's own, and her head was shaved of all hair, it was obvious who the captive was...

---

"What's going on?" Irvine asked as he skidded to a stop beside Fujin. He was in a laboratory, but what caught his attention first was the body lying on the floor. It was Adette, one of the girls that he had set out to save.

_But if she's there..._

"HOW?" Fujin asked a glass containers. Irvine looked at it and saw a girl pressed up against the circular wall. She was wearing different clothes and her head was shaven clean, but Irvine recognized Tessa immediately.

"It was Elena and some woman in a red dress," the frightened medic told the others.

"Scarlet?" Vincent asked. Irvine hadn't even heard him enter, and jumped slightly at the other man's voice. He looked at Tessa, and she nodded in confirmation.

Fujin said nothing more as she walked to the console and pressed a series of buttons. Her back was stiff and it was obvious that she was trying to ignore the body of her friend.

"Hold on, we'll get you out of there," Irvine told Tessa. He felt sorry for her, even if she had done nothing but insult him every time they spoke. He turned to Fujin and saw something move at her feet. "Look out!"

Fujin turned and looked at Irvine, who had drawn Peacemaker and aimed it at Adette. The girl was thrashing about despite the fact she was bound and gagged, something the cowboy hadn't noticed until just then. Adette turned her head in Irvine's direction and his eyes met hers. They were red. He pulled the trigger. Tessa screamed curses at him; he was surprised that it had taken so long. Fujin just looked at Adette's body with no sign of emotion before turning back to the console.

_She's so much like Squall,_ Irvine thought sadly as he returned the Peacemaker to the interior pocket of his duster. Shortly afterward, a whirring noise signalled the raising of the tubes. He looked and watched as the glass columns were raised enough for Tessa to crawl out and fall to the floor.

"You are injured," Vincent told her as he knelt beside the girl.

"Of course," she spat, and Irvine finally felt some of the tension he had been carrying drift away. "If I weren't injured, I wouldn't have fallen. Hyne, men are stupid."

Vincent responded by pulling another green Materia out of his cape. He aimed it at Tessa, who winced just before a white light enveloped her. In the second or two it took for the Cure spell to work, she had risen to her feet.

"Took you long enough," was her response. "Men never think of doing something first, they always have to whine about it. Yet another reason to hate them."

_Has she never heard of gratitude?_ Irvine asked himself. _At least she's back to normal._

He watched with a smirk as the girl took a tentative step, trying to see if she still had her balance. When she didn't fall over, Tessa whirled to Vincent and practically yelled at him.

"What about the other two? Are you just going to ignore them?"

Irvine almost preferred the whine of the alarm, which ended by then, to Tessa's grating voice. However, he was confused as to what she meant. "Other two?"

She pointed at the other raised cylinders with both hands, and Irvine stood on his tiptoes to see just what she was pointing at. Indeed, there were two more people lying unconscious in the glass circles. One was a naked woman, and he paid a lot of attention to her before turning to the other captive. He was wearing a SeeD uniform, had brown hair...

_Squall!_ was his first thought, but when he noticed the young man didn't have a scar on his face he looked at Tessa in confusion.

"Yes, I know who they look like," the girl said in an annoyed voice. "So get over it and help them already, asswipes."

Vincent said nothing as he pulled the Squall look-alike to the floor and tried to wake him with the aid of another green Materia. Irvine began to wonder just where Vincent kept all of his equipment. Then, when three sets of eyes locked onto the tall cowboy, he realized that he was supposed to get the girl.

Fighting back a grin, Irvine slipped off his duster and approached the unconscious woman. She was beautiful with long brown hair, and he guessed that the eyes were the same colour. After being sure to have removed Peacemaker, he wrapped the girl in it and lifted her into his arms.

"LEAVE!" Fujin ordered from her perch at the console. It was this noise that caused the girl in Irvine's arms to wake up. She peered up at him with, he saw that he guessed wrong, bright green eyes.

"Who are you? Where am I?" she asked in a small, frightened voice as she looked around. Then she noticed that she was naked and squeaked out of embarrassment. "Where are my clothes?"

"Put her down," Tessa ordered. Then she had Irvine and Vincent turn around. The cowboy heard the rustle of fabric and he assumed that it was his duster. When given the okay to turn around, he saw that he was right. The girl was wearing Irvine's duster, and because she was short it hung on her shoulders and draped over her body to her knees. The sharpshooter actually liked the look.

"What's your name?" Vincent asked as he looked at Tessa. The medic nodded in silent agreement and Irvine wondered what had passed unspoken between them.

The girl looked at him in shock until Tessa put her arm around her shoulder and told her that it was okay. Of course, Vincent still had the Squall-looking man in his arms. It amazed Irvine that he wasn't tired.

"I'm Eisis," the girl told them all. "I grew up in Kalm, a small mining town near Midgar. My father runs a tavern there. Oh, he must be worried so worried about me if I've just disappeared to... where am I, again?"

"You're in Junon," Tessa told the girl soothingly. The change in the redhead's personality when she spoke to women was amazing. However, when Irvine looked at her more closely, he saw that her eyebrows weren't red. In fact, they had gone silver. When she noticed the attention she was getting from Irvine, Tessa glared at him and spoke in the voice he was accustomed to hearing. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"Just can't believe you're bald," he answered with a shrug.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tessa asked as she felt her scalp. A look of shock crossed her face as she came to realize that she was, indeed, lacking any hair. "What. The. Fuck?"

"It was my idea," a new voice said from the doorway. Irvine whirled around, Peacemaker in hand, and observed three characters in dark blue suits with white dress shirts. Two were men, one black, bald like Tessa, and wearing dark sunglasses that block his face. The other was a redhead who held what looked like a riding crop against his shoulder. Finishing up the trio was the speaker, a Blonde woman with a black leather glove on one hand. She seemed to concentrating on Tessa. The cowboy turned and looked at back at her to see a look of fear on her face, but she wasn't pale. Actually, now that he noticed it, she was pale anyway. However, when he saw the same look on Vincent's face, he became worried.

"Hmm, looks like we got more than we expected," the redhead told his two companions. He was the least formal-looking of them all, with his suit wrinkled and the shirted untucked. "This just might be more fun than you told us."

Something was pressed into Irvine's arms, and he looked down to the face that was so much like that of his dead friend.

"Get him and the girl's out of here," Vincent told him. "I'll hold these three off as long as I can."

"Not alone," Tessa said as she stood behind Vincent. Her gaze was locked on the Blonde, a mixture of fear, hatred, and vengeance etched on her. Fujin joined them and turned to Irvine. He saw the Materia grasped in her hand and her face as emotionless as ever.

"LEAVE!" she repeated to him.

"Oh, yes, Reno; this will be a lot fun," the Blonde said as she cracked her knuckles and glared back at Tessa.

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A/N: I know Fujin was kind of a Mary Sue in this chapter, but there is a reason! (Isn't there always a reason?) And just what will happen to our heroes and heroines? I hope you guys like the change in format, since I'm considering doing it for the rest of the story.


	60. Chapter 57

Chapter 57:

A/N: I liked the Hunter's Eyes chapters, but I'm discontinuing them. (What with the change in format and all.) Oh well, since they're in Shinra's Junon base and trying to escape, there should be plenty of action. That means a longer chapter than usual. And I wrote this while listening to the new Dixie Chicks CD, so it may influence this just a little.

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Hunter watched in amazement as Yuffie Kisiragi screamed and threw a shuriken at a Shinra soldier, completely obliterating his face as the sharp edges sliced through the metal of his mask. The young mage had lived a few miles from Junon his entire life, not even remembering any time he may have spent in Corel with his family. He didn't even remember his family. Yet, he recognized Yuffie's fighting style.

"Hunter!" Quistis shouted, drawing the young man's attention in time for him to duck beneath the bayonet of a Shinra soldier. He ran from the attacker in fear. Quistis's whip wrapped itself around the soldier's neck, which broke when she jerked on her weapon. "What are you doing, Mr. Vance?"

"I am sorry!" was his response as he dodged another enemy attack. "I do not have any offensive magic."

A bolt of lightning leapt out of her hand, Quistis's Blue magic drawn out with the Enemy Skill Materia. She kicked the machine gun of a dead Shinra soldier to Hunter. The boy looked at it in confusion.

"Pick it up!" the Instructor ordered, and Hunter obeyed. The metal was still warm from where it had been fired just moments before. Unsure of what to do, he pointed it at an advancing warrior and pulled the trigger. However, the man didn't fall. He just kept running despite the bullets.

Nothing was said as he came to the realization that the men were wearing armour that protected them from their own weaponry, should any friendly fire occur. Hunter remembered some of his training at Balamb Garden, and spun just out of reach of the soldier. He brought up the firearm and struck the other man in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Two stones, one green and one red, clattered out of the corporate employee's pocket.

"It is about time," Hunter said under his breath. He tossed the machine gun to the side and picked up the two stones. The red was slid into his pocket, but his fist tightened around the other Materia. He raised it at another soldier and a blast of cold air blew the man back. As the first soldier stood up, Hunter impaled him with an icicle of magical origin.

---

Yuffie was proud of her classical training in ninjitsu, the native martial arts of her homeland of Wutai. She had been brought up by the local ninjitsu master, her father Godo. Not for the first time, her incredible reflexes saved her life. A large expanse of flame suddenly appeared in front of her, and she used the wall to jump over it and land in front of the owner of the Fire Materia.

It was a man dressed in a purple jumpsuit incredibly similar to what Cloud wore, and there was even a sword strapped to his back. The blade was thick and curved, almost like a scimitar. With a grin and a flash of metal, the sword flew out and just barely missed the teenager as she dodged and countered with a shuriken. Another flash of steel knocked the spinning blade to the side harmlessly. The man, a brunette with his hair slicked back, raised his sword and brought it down at Yuffie. She responded by ducking to the side and blasting him with her Lightning Materia. The man flew back ten feet and hit the wall, cracking it with the force of impact. However, he stood up relatively uninjured.

"If they'd deployed us the first time around, then the meddlesome AVALANCHE wouldn't have made it out of Midgar the night Sephiroth killed President Shinra," the man said as he brandished his sword. Yuffie hadn't been a member of AVALANCHE when the corporation's first president had been assassinated by the Jenova-enhanced Sephiroth clone, and she hadn't paid much attention to anything but her team mates' Materia until they saved her in Wutai, so the ninja didn't know what he was talking about. Still, his style of dress bothered her.

The man feigned a thrust, which the girl fell for, and then hit her with a bolt of Lightning from another Materia he held. Yuffie fell to the floor, but got up almost immediately. She had helped kill Sephiroth, and it would take more than a spell from some nobody to take her down.

Holding one in each hand, Yuffie launched two more shuriken at the purple-clad man. With unthinkable speed, he deflected both with his sword and charged her again. She spun around to dodge it, but felt the metal rake her back. It was a flesh wound, nothing life-threatening or debilitating, but it still hurt like hell. Gritting her teeth, Yuffie pulled out a green Materia and sent a large tongue of flame at the man. It struck him full on, but he still stood after the attack. That was when she realized that he had a MBarrier cast on himself to block some of her magic.

She ran at him, ignoring the stinging pain in her back, and launched herself in the air for a kick. Before her foot met him, though, the man grabbed her by the ankle and used her momentum to swing her around and let go. Yuffie flew and hit a wall. The girl wasn't able to stand up right away, but still managed to find her feet.

_He's tough,_ she thought as she fingered a special Materia in her pocket. Again, the man charged her and, again, she dodged him. Then, when the moment presented itself, Yuffie presented her new weapon. The rock glowed red and a blinding light filled the room for a moment. When it dissipated, an old man holding a staff floated in the air before the young girl. The old man, Ramuh, threw his staff at the man in purple. Large flashes of lightning filled the air around both of them, taking down Shinra staff that had managed to get to close to the two fighters. Another large flash of light filled Yuffie's senses, and when she could see again the old man was gone. Surprisingly, so was her target.

Years of stealth training had made her ears sensitive, so she heard the attack before she saw the blade coming at her from the side. With a flick of her wrist, a shuriken flew out and she dove forward. As her spinning blade hit the sword, it knocked the man off balance and he hit the floor on his side.

Taking advantage of her quick reprieve, Yuffie scanned the hallway to see Quistis taking out dozens of soldiers herself with a combination of whip lashes and magic. Hunter was also on the offensive, sending out extraordinary blasts of Ice magic with relative ease. How he managed to get a hold of that type of Materia was beyond her, since neither she nor Vincent had given it to him.

"You're good," the man said as he stood up and pointed his sword at the crouching ninja. "You're still not a match for me, though."

_We'll see about that,_ Yuffie thought.

---

Hunter killed a few more soldiers with his magic, and then realized that there were no more opponents for him to face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuffie locked in combat with a man in purple, but brushed it off. She was in AVALANCHE, she would be fine.

Curiosity caught him as he watched Instructor Quistis Trepe whirl majestically and slap her own final foe with her whip. It hit him in the leg and he fell to the ground in pain. His life ended a second later as a blast emanated from the beautiful woman's bespectacled eye and vaporized his head. A gory mess of blood and tissue was left behind at the juncture of his shoulder and neck.

"Good work, Mr. Vance," Quistis panted. She stood straight up and put her whip around her waist and buckled it.

_Wait, whips don't do that_, Hunter thought before realizing that Quistis had been using a belt as a makeshift whip, her weapon of expertise. Suddenly, he admired her for more than her good looks. He cleared his throat before looking back to Yuffie and her lone opponent. "Shouldn't we help her?"

"Let's get on it, then," Quistis answered. However, at that moment, another squad of soldiers burst into the wide hallway.

---

Even though she was preoccupied, Yuffie saw her comrades engaging in another battle with Shinra forces. She knew that with her incredible skill, she would be able to take the new guys down with no effort. The guy she was fighting, however, worried her. Not since Sephiroth had she been in a fight this tough. Her abilities were definitely being tested.

"The famed Yuffie Kisiragi can't even take down 'lil ole me?" the guy mocked as he spun as swung his blade at her. Yuffie jumped back, hit the floor with her feet, and then launched herself forward. Her head met his chest and they both fell to the ground. He climbed on top of her, pinning her down with his knees, and raised his sword high above his head. "See, not a match for me. You're just a second-rate has been."

If he had paid attention, the man would have noticed that, just before colliding with him, Yuffie had pulled another green Materia from her pocket. Even with his MBarrier, the guy wasn't able to stay perched on top of her when the Lightning spell hit him.

Yuffie then rolled in the direction opposite the flying the man and stood up. She was aching slightly, but nothing that could be a handicap. A small trickle of blood ran down her back, but she ignored it as her fierce adversary stood up and charged her again. It seemed like he had no weakness. Nothing she could throw at him seemed to hurt the warrior.

She produced another shuriken and tossed it at the fighter, who knocked it away. He opened his mouth, as if to tell her of the futility of her assault, when another streak of fire slammed into his face. Immediately after that, Yuffie followed up with a kick to the side of his head. After that strike, the man punched at her face. Surprised by his speed, Yuffie was almost to slow to fall beneath the blow.

Her leg swung out and knocked his out from under him. Then she did a back flip and landed on the other side of the hall with a shuriken in hand. The soldier stood up and held his sword out at his side, grinning as sweat gathered on his forehead.

"Maybe I was wrong. Still, you can't hope to beat me."

"And why not?" Yuffie asked as she tightened her grip on the shuriken. Sweat was on her face, too. Hers was falling profusely down it, though. "Is it because I'm a girl?"

"No," the man told her. He flicked his wrist, changing the angle of his blade. "It's because nobody can beat a member of SOLDIER."

---

It surprised him just how well he was doing. Hunter Vance spun, sending out another volley of sharp icicles. A few hit their marks, but several others lodged themselves into the wall. When one stray soldier got too close, he was blasted backward by a cold wind. Bullets were fired at him until the man Yuffie was fighting barked something at them.

"You're not supposed to kill the boy, you idiots! The woman, kill the woman!"

Hunter was unsure of what that meant, exactly, but there was a sudden upsurge in aggression toward Quistis. He watched as the woman, armed only with the Enemy Skill Materia this time around, surrounded herself with a large wall of fire. Momentarily it swelled before collapsing and pushing out, frying the soldiers around her. The Garden student was marvelled at her control of Blue magic, and felt that she should be given Mage status despite her position as a SeeD.

"Quit staring and do something!" she yelled at the transfixed Hunter as she undid her belt and hit an oncoming soldier in the face.

He took her advice and pulled out the red Materia. He had no idea what it was, since they hadn't covered Materia use in his classes at Balamb Garden. When he tried to recall something he had learned about Materia at Lotia Garden, his head began to hurt again and he fell to the floor in pain.

"Looks like he's out," Hunter heard a soldier say. "We should collect him now."

_I'm not out yet,_ he thought as the Materia in his hand began to glow.

---

A roar erupted and Yuffie felt herself grow hot almost immediately. She turned her head and saw Ifrit set a couple of soldiers on fire. Unfortunately, while she was distracted, the SOLDIER attacked. At the last second, Yuffie put her shuriken between herself and the sword. The sound of metal scraping filled the air, but was soon drowned out by a woman's scream. Even though she had successfully deflected a lethal blow, Yuffie's own weapon had sunk into her hand. One pointed end, which had pushed through to the other side of Yuffie's hand, shined in the firelight coming from Ifrit before it was covered by the ninja's blood.

With another scream, Yuffie ripped the star out of her right hand and launched it at the SOLDIER with her left. He easily batted it aside, but it was only a distraction. Yuffie used the free second to heal herself with a Restore Materia. The wound closed rather easily, but there was a large scar from where the sharp metal had dug in and been ripped out. She charged the man and attempted a spinning kick that he knocked away with the flat of his blade.

"I told you, you can't win," he told Yuffie with a grin. However, when she grinned back he looked caught off guard.

"I'm not trying to win," Yuffie said as Ifrit barrelled past her and into the man in purple.

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A/N: A sporadic chapter, jumping between Hunter and Yuffie. And nary a curse word! So, be honest, was it good or utter crap? And was Yuffie a Mary Sue? I hope not, because I tried so hard not to make her one, even though she is my favourite character from FFVII. And I know she's a little OOC, but I want her to be more than comic relief. Anyway, R&R!


	61. Chapter 58

Chapter Fifty-Eight:

A/N: Two women with absolute hatred. Only one can leave alive. The final showdown between Elena and Tessa. You all know you've been looking forward to this. Don't deny it, or I'll have to send Yuffie after you! Oh, there will be other people fighting, so I'll probably do the character jumping that I've been doing lately. (Don't you just love it when writing styles change in the middle of a fic?)

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If Adette were still alive, Tessa might have been in rational enough of thought to feel fear. As it was, the only thought she had was to kill the one who had killed the only person she dared to fall in love with. She snarled and clenched her fist. There was no way the Blonde would win this time.

The last time she had fought Elena was Timber, where the Turks had her outnumbered 3 to 1. Now the odds were in Tessa's favour, with four to three. Of course, she wasn't thinking about the unconscious Squall clone or the frightened Eisis/Aeris. Vincent, however, was on a slightly more logical train of thought as he stepped forward and held out his hands to show that he wasn't attacking.

"Rude," he said to the Turk that hadn't spoken. "Just let us pass. Remember the sewers of Midgar? We aren't your enemies any longer."

The answer he got was a bolt of lightning to the chest. He went airborne and crashed against one of the glass columns, which failed to shatter. The most mysterious member of Avalanche stood up and pulled a long barrelled handgun with a scope out of his cape.

"Get them out of here!" Vincent yelled, and Tessa wasn't sure who he was talking to. Then the former Turk began firing at the current Turks, all of whom dove inside the room. Rude raised a green Materia and an icicle knocked the weapon out of Vincent's hand.

Fujin squared off with Reno, who held his crop like a sword and swung at her. She ducked and planted a fist in his stomach. Reno doubled over before jerking his elbow back into her jaw. Her lip began bleeding as she backed away.

Lastly, Elena glared at Tessa, who returned the look with mutual hatred. Even with the aide of a GF and magic, Tessa had never bested the Turk. She knew this and logged it in the back of her mind.

"You're dead. Nothing more than road kill to someone like me," Elena said with an evil grin. She cracked her knuckles and circled Tessa, who made sure to keep both of her eyes on her nemesis. This was the most dangerous foe that she had ever faced, and Tessa was at a definite disadvantage. She did have one thing in her favour, though. Tessa knew Elena's fighting style this time around, and would definitely use that knowledge to her advantage. Elena, on the other hand, had always caught Tessa off-guard. Now she would have no choice but to fight her (almost) fairly.

Both women screamed, sounds that were little more than their primal urges escaping through their mouths. They met in a flurry of punches and blocks, Tessa throwing up one arm to absorb a blow while lashing out with the other. Her left hand connected with the side of Elena's head as she Blonde drove a knee into her stomach. Then she put a hand on Tessa's face and pushed her back to the floor.

Tessa sprang back up and charged at Elena again, her right fist raised. Elena parried with a kick and knocked Tessa to the floor again. The Blonde laughed as the bald woman pushed herself off the floor and tackled Elena. The Blonde used the momentum to fling Tessa into the console that operated the glass cylinders. The buttons and knobs dug into her chest, but Tessa ignored the pain and concentrated solely on Elena. The Turk ran at Tessa, who met the Blonde with a foot to the jaw. A surprised look crossed Elena's face as she rubbed her jaw with one hand and clenched the other into fist.

"I can kick, too, Bitch," Tessa said with a smirk.

---

Reno lashed out with his crop and it hit Fujin squarely in the back. The woman said nothing as she sent a flurry of icicles at him. He deftly dodged them all and leapt at her, swinging his crop. Fujin ducked beneath it and struck back with a kick to the face. Her foot missed and Reno hit her with a Fire spell.

Even as her clothes erupted in an inferno, Fujin said nothing. She merely put the flames out with a blast of cold air from her Materia and formed a large icicle which hung in the air before her. The girl reached up and grabbed the makeshift spear before swinging it at Reno as though it were a sword. The Turk ducked beneath the blow, but his face met Fujin's knee. Reno's head snapped back. but he caught himself and flipped, kicking Fujin in the chest in the process.

"I guess SeeDs are good fighters after all," Reno said without knowing that Fujin wasn't a SeeD.

Silence was Fujin's friend once more, as she used the time he had allotted for a response as a time to attack. She threw the icicle and it missed Reno's head by inches. The surprised Turk readied his riding crop and held up his Fire Materia. Fujin raised her Ice Materia and aimed it at her aggressor. As fire launched itself at Fujin, a sheet of ice flew at Reno. They met in the middle and a small pool of water formed on the floor.

Using the brief moment to his advantage, Reno charged at Fujin. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed when the girl froze the pool with her Materia, so he slid neatly into her foot. He rocketed back and flew out the door and into an open hallway, with Fujin sprinting after him.

---

Irvine had used the fight to his advantage, slipping through the door long before Fujin and Reno went through it. Eisis was close behind and the Squall look-alike was still unconscious in his arms. The young man was surprisingly light as the cowboy carried him.

"Where are we going?" Eisis asked in a small voice as they ran from empty hallway to empty hallway. Irvine didn't want to worry the poor girl by telling her he was lost, so he said nothing.

He could hear a familiar roar and knew someone had Summoned Ifrit. The sharpshooter just hoped that it was someone on his side or, at least, someone else fighting the corporation. Also filling the air was the sound of gunfire, and Irvine felt a familiar rush of adrenaline in his veins. Whenever he heard a gunshot, the Galbadian could smell the gunpowder and feel the kickback in his shoulder, whether he doing it or not. It was almost as though some higher power had modeled his body specifically for the purpose of carrying a firearm, because a rifle seemed to fit him like a puzzle piece.

"Do you know how to get out of here?" the small woman wearing Irvine's jacket asked.

"No," he answered. "I'm hopelessly lost. But at least I've got a pretty lady like you with me"

"What are we going to do?" the frightened woman cried, to frightened to realize Irvine was flirting with her. Tears began pouring down her face, and Irvine had to stop and face her.

"We'll get out of here. Trust me," Irvine said as he set the young man in his arms on the floor and propped him against the wall. He walked to Eisis and took her in his arms. The hug lasted for well over a minute and her body trembled against his. When they finally parted, Irvine stroked her hair and looked into her green eyes. "Are you ready to go?"

Eisis nodded and drew Irvine's duster tighter around her body. When the cowboy turned back around to pick up the man who looked like Squall, there was nothing there.

"Where is that guy?" Eisis asked. Irvine scratched his head and looked up and down the hallway.

"There's nothing we can do now. Come on," he said as he took Eisis's hand and led her down the hallway, cursing himself for being so careless.

---

Tessa took another swing at Elena. The woman was much quicker than her attacker and managed to avoid the blow, countering with one of her own. The medic fell back, landing on Adette's body. Without thinking, Tessa put her hand on the eviscerated head and cut her palm where the bullet had left the skull.

"Fuck!" she screamed in pain before being hit by a Fire spell. As her uniform caught on fire, Tessa cried again. Her skin was roasting and she couldn't move fast enough to pat out the flames. "Aah!"

"Allow me," Elena said as she reached out with her gloved hand and grabbed Tessa's shirt. She pulled on the younger girl until they were face to face. The heat didn't bother the Turk as she broke into a sadistic smile. "How does it feel to burn?"

Suddenly, Tessa found herself sliding across the floor and hitting Vincent's legs. As the two Shinra experiments collided, Vincent's cape also fell victim to the blaze. Reaching into the burning garment, he produced two green Materia. With one he put out the flames on Tessa and himself, then healed the other warrior with the other. He offered Tessa a hand, which she took, and pulled her to her feet. Right after this, though, he was tackled by Rude. The two men rolled on the floor, trading punches.

Elena struck again while Tessa was still trying to gather her wits, hitting her in the face with a shin covered by dark blue slacks.

Tessa grabbed her nose with her left hand, trying to block out the pain. It was a futile attempt, as she felt the shattered cartilage underneath her fingers. If she had Shiva back, or even some Materia, it might be a fair fight. However, as it stood, she was at a sore tactical disadvantage.

"Bitch," Tessa said in a nasal voice as she climbed to her unsteady feet. Elena merely laughed and tossed a red Materia into the air. It went up a few feet, spun in midair, and came back down into the Turk's grip. She waved it around and Tessa remembered the encounter in Timber where she had been assaulted with the use of red Materia. It meant Summoning and she couldn't flee on Phoenix this time.

"I don't know if you've met my good buddy here," Elena mocked as she nuzzled the rock affectionately. "You may remember her cousin Bahamut in Timber. I'd like to introduce you Neo-Bahamut. She's stronger, faster, and smarter than her male counterpart. She's a lot like me."

"An ugly and psychotic uber-bitch?" Tessa spat as the Materia began to glow. Elena merely grinned widely, so widely that it threatened to split her face in half. Quickly, the young woman looked about for a means of escape. There was none. Then, following a blinding light that Tessa was becoming oddly used to, a large red dragon appeared. It spread it wings and glared at Tessa before gathering energy in its mouth.

"Yes. Oh, Hyne, yes!" Elena shrieked as if in ecstasy. She threw her head back, blonde hair falling behind her. Then she looked back at Tessa, a dark glint in her eyes and hair covering her face. It was such a menacing gesture that Tessa felt herself shiver as she fell to the floor. She could think of nothing else to do.

The roar of the blast seemed to shake the room, and Tessa felt the heat brush her back. She screamed as she felt herself being cooked alive.

"Stop," a cold, male voice ordered. Surprised that she was alive, Tessa looked up and saw a blonde man in a purple jumpsuit standing in front of her. The girl guessed he had taken the brunt of the blast for her, though how he survived she could understand. Strapped to his back was a purple and red sword that Tessa recognized. It was called a Force Stealer, if she remembered correctly. One of the Sabres at Balamb Garden was training with a Force Stealer before she left. She hadn't seen him when she returned. Whether that was a good thing or not remained uncertain.

"Of course you're here," Elena said as she pointed a finger at the stranger. Tessa had seen him before, she just knew it. Where, though, she couldn't say. "I know you've been hunting me ever since I offed your precious dog."

"His name was Nanaki, and he wasn't a dog," the man said as he gritted his teeth and drew his sword. "I watched as you kicked him off the ship and into the water, knowing he couldn't swim."

"Of course I knew," Elena said. She licked her lips and smiled as though she were looking upon a delicious meal. "That's why I did it. Did you ever find the carcass? I'd hate to think that we're polluting the ocean with that trash."

The man screamed and ran at Elena, who ducked under his wild swing. Her fist connected with his stomach, and then she spun and kicked him in the side, sending him flying across the room. Tessa, meanwhile, was still lying on the floor and biting her tongue to keep from screaming from the pain. The most miniscule of movements would send a wave of agony and nausea through her.

Vincent, meanwhile, sent a large bolt of lightning at Rude, who easily dodged. However, the electricity did hit the stranger as he was standing up. The man fell back to the ground, breathing heavily, and Elena kicked him in the face before moving on.

"Look at this," Elena announced as she gestured at Tessa. "Why, what is such a young girl doing out by herself this time of day? Don't you know that all of the weirdoes are out in full force? You could get hurt."

Tessa tried to form a response, but was in too much pain. Elena grabbed her by the ear and pulled her head up. The pressure on Tessa's tender flesh was such that she nearly lost consciousness from the pain. The Blonde noticed this and twisted it, hard, before leaning in to whisper something in Tessa's ear. "After they're through with you, you're mine."

"Fuck off," Tessa spat. Elena responded by kneeing Tessa in the face.

"Die!" the man that had saved Tessa from Neo-Bahamut screamed as he fell toward Elena. Tessa was shocked, since she hadn't even heard him get back up. Apparently Elena had, because she got out of the way just in time. The violet blade bit into Tessa's chest, instantly punching the breath out of her.

She choked on a scream as she painfully looked down at the blade, which was still lodged in her. Then she looked back up at the new guy. A sudden recognition hit her as she fought back the oncoming darkness and desire o go to sleep. The man was Cloud Strife of AVALANCHE. The man who saved the world from Sephiroth. She had been mortally wounded by one of the "good guys."

"Shit!" Cloud shouted as he ducked under a blow from Elena and withdrew his sword from Tessa. The girl grabbed at her wound in a panic, a fountain of warm and sticky red liquid pumping out of her. Somewhere deep inside herself, Tessa felt a power that she had only felt once before. Even as she gasped for air and fought to stay conscious, the young medic's eyes began to glow.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Elena mocked as she watched Tessa go almost into a trance. Cloud, who wasn't paying attention to anything but the Blonde, continued to swing his sword at Elena. She easily dodged every thrust.

Without a warning of any kind, Tessa's jaw fell open of its own accord. A high-pitched tone seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the room, and the fighters winced but continued battling. Then it happened; an invisible force hit Elena and knocked her across the room. The Blonde hit the base of one of the cylindrical glass containers. The impact caused a loud crack sound to reverberate throughout the room, but the glass remained undamaged. Elena, on the other hand, wasn't quite so lucky. She grabbed her ears and screamed from the pain, of the attack and the crash.

Tessa then began seizing and lost her momentary surge in power. She jerked one final time and finally succumbed to the warm embrace of sleep.

---

Elena knew something was wrong; she couldn't move any part of the left side of her body. It was unfortunate, because she stored her Restore Materia in her left pants pocket.

Her entire life flashed before her eyes, and she knew that she was going to die.

The memories of her mother before she died from the Mako poisoning; her father turning to the bottle and beating his children to get over the loss; and then her own breakdown which led to her institutionalization in Midgar. That was where Shinra found her. They were looking for test subjects, and nobody would care about the crazy daughter of a drunk who worked the Mythril mines out of Kalm.

Before the first needle entered her body, Elena had snapped the neck of the surgeon. He hadn't been expecting it since she just sat on the examination table with a dull glaze in her eyes. Almost immediately afterward, a small group of soldiers broke into the laboratory to subdue her. They did so, but not until after Elena had managed to stab one with a scalpel and injected another with whatever the nameless doctor was going to put into her bloodstream. Shortly after that incident, a large and balding man who claimed to be the Shinra president asked her if she would join him. He was in need of a new Turk since one of his had been injured in the disaster that was Sector Seven, and she showed a lot of promise.

In her crazed state, Elena accepted and began the harsh training on the road to becoming a Turk. Every night she slept in a straight jacket until the doctors figured out the dosage of her medications, and during the day she whittled away what bit of humanity she had left until she became little more than a killing machine. After all, what was a Turk if not a glorified killing machine?

Even with her failure to subdue AVALANCHE and the deaths of two presidents, Shinra retained Elena's services as she slipped further and further into insanity. Rude and Reno weren't worried about being attacked, because Elena seemed to be easily manipulated and only attacked when ordered to until...

Antessence Matleo was supposed to be her breakthrough. Retrieve a young redhead from Balamb Garden and receive a promotion. Of course, being a Turk, there was no real promotion for her, but Elena didn't know that. So she set off to the small island nation of Balamb and awaited further instructions from Rude, who had accompanied her. The target had been sent into the woods where Elena had been sent to apprehend her. Even though she had a clear advantage, Elena somehow lost the girl and her false promotion. It infuriated her and she took it out on some slum dwellers upon her return to Midgar. Nobody said anything, either because they were afraid to or they just didn't care.

Then she was given a chance to redeem herself. The girl would be leaving Balamb and the protection of SeeD for her "exam." Little did the girl know that it had been set up by the Shinra-controlled Squall and the extorted Headmaster. Elena was to try once more to make off with the girl, and this time she relished the pain she caused. Unfortunately, the damn Sorceress had to interfere. At least now the fucking witch was dead. Driven insane by the sight of her father killing her friend and then threatening to do the same to her if she were bitten by one of the undead creatures.

But before that there had been Timber, a surprise to the Blonde. Her crimson obsession had wondered into Elena's clutches of her own accord, and this time the Turk had Rude and Reno with her. There was no chance of failure. Except for the accursed bird, the fucking Phoenix. Even as Rude was summoning Bahamut, Elena felt what little bit of lucidity she attained crumbling. The girl escaped because of her precious Summon.

After that, Elena had all but given up hope on capturing the girl. That was why she went ahead and had Bahamut destroy the airship. Then the little bug they had planted on her continued to pick up a signal and transmitted a broadcast. The little bitch was alive! Of course, she was trapped in Galbadia City, but that didn't matter. Elena wanted to go into the rotting metropolis and bring her back kicking and screaming, but Scarlet wouldn't allow that. Elena was too valuable.

So while the redhead fought for her life, Elena was sent out to try to assassinate the Prime Minister of Dollet. AVALANCHE had gotten in her way, as always, but before they drove her out she had managed to killed their precious little dog. Then upon her return to Junon, Elena learned that Shinra had managed to finally retrieve the specimen, the girl.

Now she was lying on the floor as the last of her memories rolled in front of her eyes. Then she looked up and saw Cloud standing over her with a victorious grin. Elena, finally plunging headlong into madness, laughed. She continued to laugh as Cloud drove his blade into every inch of her body, stopping only when he drove the blade deep into throat. But even after he ripped his sword free and her head rolled onto the floor, the echoes continued.

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A/N: Ah, the whole Elena business is finally over. Now we just have to have Tessa survive a sword to the chest. Stupid Cloud. And check out my new FFIX fic. It actually has humour! The link is in my profile.


	62. Chapter 59

Chapter Fifty-Nine:

A/N: I've fixed the weird chapter thing (hopefully.) My computer was being weird, and I feel the need to apologize for it. Also, check out Rakunya's fic which is _finally_ posted :) It looks promising.

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_Tessa didn't know where she was. There was a large waterfall on all sides, foam cascading down forever. She took a step back and felt something brush against her leg. Startled, the teenager brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked around._

"_Hair?" she whispered as the long strands sifted through her fingers like some strange fluid. It wasn't red and frizzy, either. No, now her hair was straight and silvery in colour. It was also so long that it fell down to the middle of her back. Her bangs also hung halfway down her face, covering her eyes. Tessa was sure she was dead, since Cloud Strife had just stabbed her. It didn't make sense, though: Tessa didn't believe in the afterlife. If she were dead, then why was she in this bizarre state of consciousness?_

_All around her, small balls of light sparkled in colours she hadn't even known to exist. She looked down and saw that she was standing in a field of flowers. That answered the question of what she had felt touch her leg. Now all she had to do was figure where she was and just what the hell was going on. After all, even though she could differentiate between the colours around her, everything seemed to have a pink hue to it._

"_Hey," a familiar voice said. Tessa looked around with wide eyes until a familiar face shimmered into view, followed by the rest of the body. "You never did go on that date to Balamb with me."_

"_It can't be. You're dead," Tessa mouthed in silent horror. Floating before her, a few inches above the tops of the flowers, was none other than Phelan Barson. The last time the medic had seen him, his eyes were glazed over in a maintenance room in the gate at Galbadia City. Also, he hadn't been translucent like he was at that moment._

"_So are you, for now," Phelan said sadly. He held his hands in front of himself and stared at the ground just out of his reach. When he looked back up, a large smile was on his face. "I forgive you, you know. You did try to save me, and I appreciate it. There are other people for you to help, though. It's not your time."_

"_He's right," another disembodied voice said. Soon after that, Rinoa Heartilly, the late Sorceress, appeared in the same manner as Phelan. She stood beside the young swordsman and smiled at Tessa. The newly grey-haired teenager, in shock and fear, shrank back slightly. Rinoa continued to smile as she spoke. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. That wasn't even me on the vessel. My father, in his desperation to escape from Galbadia City, had removed the manacle that bound my Sorceress Powers. After that, I was overwhelmed by the strength of the Sorceresses whose power I had accepted into my body, and I was no longer Rinoa. I was a Sorceress and nothing more."_

"_What the fuck is this?" Tessa screamed at the two figures as she saw the waterfall continue its never-ending cycle. Of course, she saw this through them and it made her want to pull out her newly grown hair in confusion._

"_This is our way of helping you."_

_Tessa felt tears form in her eyes as her best friend appeared on Rinoa's right side, as Phelan was on her left. "Aili…"_

"_Hey," the small girl said with a small smile. Tessa felt herself begin to feel blissful for the first time in a long time. She had been happy and relieved, but never in this state of ecstatic joy. "There's something you need to know."_

"_What's that?" Tessa asked. As she expected, another faceless voice answered. Then it was followed by the appearance of a man she never had expected to see again. "Holt?"_

_He was much more youthful in appearance than Tessa remembered, but the eyes were still the same. "You did save me that night. When I fell, my head hit the pavement and cracked open. I never got back up. It's also good to know that you finally fell in love."_

_Then the stinging sensation that accompanied the memories of Adette's death shattered any sense of peace she had ever felt. "Where is she?"_

"_She'll be here soon," another feminine voice said as Tifa Lockhart shimmered beside Holt, who was standing on Phelan's left. "But there is something important for you to know. When people die, they come here," Tifa gestured to the vastness surrounding them, "but if they become those things, Rots, they don't. Their souls, if that's what you want to call them, are trapped in their minds as they watch their bodies attack their friends and family for no purpose other than primal instinct. The need to feed."_

"_Thunder Magic temporarily paralyzes the body, as I'm sure you've figured out," Selphie Tilmitt said with a clap of her hands as she appeared. "But it's only temporary. And tell Irvine and Quistis that I'm going to so haunt them in their sleep."_

_Tessa ignored the giggle following Selphie's request as she back away from the procession of dead people that had begun to gather around her. It just wasn't logical. When people died, their heart stopped beating, their blood flow diminished before stopping completely, and brain function ceased. They didn't come to some field and spend eternity talking to each other. She was just hallucinating, that had to be it._

"_We're as real as you," Zell Dincht said before appearing beside Tifa, on the end of the deceased spectrum opposite Selphie. He was also quiet and serious, something Tessa hadn't been expecting. "But we're here for good, you're not."_

"_Did that bitch Hyne send you, if you're as real as you all claim?" Tessa asked, pointing accusingly at Phelan simply for the fact that he was first to appear._

"_You don't believe in Hyne. You told me so often enough. It was so annoying that I wanted to smack you," Latasha said with a laugh before appearing next to Selphie. "No, we weren't sent by some higher power. We're here, as Aili said, to help you."_

"_And just what the fuck do I need a bunch of ghosts to help me with? I'm tired of you all shitting around with me. Now what the hell is going on?" Tessa screamed as she ripped a flower from the ground and threw it at Tifa. It passed harmlessly through her, and she smiled sadly._

"_It's you." The voice Tessa had been waiting to hear. Nobody materialized and she panicked._

"_She's right behind you," Holt said as he pointed behind Tessa. "I think she was much better for you than I."_

"_Adette?" Tessa whispered as she wiped a tear from her eyes and turned around. Standing there amid the flowers, and perfectly solid, was the sharpshooter that had somehow stolen Tessa's guarded heart. The (former) redhead cast a quick glance behind her but the others were gone. When she looked back to Adette, the other girl was where she was when she had appeared. She was a few feet away, but Tessa broke that barrier easily. "Is it really you?"_

"_Yeah, it's me, you stupid bitch," Adette said with a laugh. "Well, at least now I know why you were so mean to Phelan on the train."_

"_Shut up," Tessa snapped, fighting the urges to both punch and kiss the other girl. "Will you tell me what the hell is going on? Those stupid assholes did nothing but confuse me."_

"_It's complicated," Adette sighed as she picked a flower and twirled it around in her fingers, her eyes never leaving Tessa. "All of that stuff Scarlet, the Shinra president, said was true. You are a clone that was injected with the T-Virus. There's more, though."_

"_Would you dead fuckers quit being so damn cryptic and tell me what is going on?" Tessa shouted at the love of her life._

"_But that would take away so much of the fun," Adette said coyly as she smelled the flower. It was a species Tessa had never seen before; unique only to this strange place she was currently in._

"_Stupid bitch," Tessa huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Is your stupid Card Queen here with you?"_

"_Yeah," Adette said darkly. "We're not talking about her. This is about you. You're the key to figuring this out. Why do you think the Rots would stop when you made eye contact with them?"_

"_What the hell are you talking about? If you have a point, then make it."_

_Adette sighed and played with the stem of the flower in her hands and she turned her back to Tessa and walked away a few good paces before turning back to her almost-lover. "Tessa, it's you. When you were injected with T-Virus, things happened to you. Even Shinra doesn't know everything. You can control the Rots, to a degree. But there's something even bigger than that."_

"_What the fuck could be bigger than being able to control an army of walking dead people?" Tessa snorted. "Am I also predestined to end the world or something?"_

"_Or something," Adette said quietly, earning a rare silent moment from Tessa when she was in a sarcastic mood. "Tessa, you're a walking infection of the T-Virus. Anyone that you come into contact with contracts a dormant version of the disease. When they die, whether it be from causes natural or not, the virus becomes active and they become Rots. That's what happened to me when I died."_

"_Sorry about that," Tessa apologized sincerely as tears began pouring out of her eyes. "I just couldn't see you suffer like that, and there was nothing else that I could…"_

"_It's okay, I understand," Adette reassured Tessa as she plucked a leaf off the stem of her flower. "What's important is that you realize the fact that you could very well be the end of the world as we know it."_

_Tessa gritted her teeth, anger seething through and covering up any other emotions she was feeling at that moment. Why the hell was all of this happening to her? All she had wanted from life was to study medicine and be left alone. Why couldn't she catch a break?_

"_Fuck that!" Tessa screamed as she stomped the flowers around her, grinding them into the ground with the heels of her boots. "Fuck all of this. You are just some fucking hallucination I'm having due to the blood loss. Pretty soon, I'm just going to black out and die."_

"_Tessa, there is hope," Adette said as walked back to the medic. "The Cetra, the Ancients, were incredibly wise and in touch with the planet in a way that we never can be. Their last descendents, the Centra, were incredibly advanced when it came to technology. Even more so than Esthar. If you go to the abandoned mobile sea lab that the Centra created, you might be able to find a way to create a cure for the T-Virus."_

"_Why not just let me die and keep people from getting infected to begin with?" Tessa shot back._

"_People are already infected, and they don't know that," Adette urged. "And the cure can only be created from your blood. You hold the key to stopping the mutation from completing. If you get to that lab, you just might end up saving the world rather than destroying it."_

"_What the fuck else do I have to worry about?" Tessa asked angrily._

"_It's the Sorceress Power. When Rinoa died, it was transferred to me. I didn't know and, thus, never used it. When I died, it went to someone else. I, we, don't know who has it. You have to watch out for that," Adette bit her lip and looked away from Tessa, gazing sadly at the waterfalls surrounding them. "I have to go soon."_

"_Can I ask a couple of questions first?" Tessa blurted out as she approached her dead lover. It took everything she had not to hold her and refuse to let her go._

"_You can ask two," Adette sighed as she smiled wearily._

"_Why the fuck is Shinra cloning people?"_

"_They want to manipulate the rare abilities of individuals, even if they couldn't have them because the people were dead or simply wouldn't cooperate," Adette answered. "One left."_

"_I don't want you to go," Tessa pleaded as she fell to her knees. Emotions weren't something she was good at expressing, and Adette knew this and thus said nothing._

"_I know, but I have to," Adette said sadly. "You can ask you last question now."_

"_My memories, are they all lies? I mean, am I nothing more than some product manufactured by an energy corporation?"_

"_I'm sorry," Adette said regretfully. "There are things that even death doesn't let us know. I have to go now."_

"_Please don't" Tessa sobbed as Adette became translucent and floated above the ground like Phelan and the others had. "Don't you dare, you fucking bitch! You are not leaving me again!"_

"_Goodbye, Tessa," Adette said as she dropped the flower. It floated gently to ground, as if rocked by some invisible force. The sharpshooter vanished just as the flower landed on the ground below…_

---

"She's coming around!" Cloud announced in a bored voice as the young, bald girl in his arms stirred. He had healed her wounds before performing CPR, which didn't work. Then he shocked her with his Lightning Materia until her heart began beating.

During all of this, Vincent had managed to recover the gun he had lost during the beginning of the battle with the Turks.

"Who the fuck are you?" Tessa asked as the Blonde man helped her to stand.

"I'm Cloud Strife," he answered as he let go of Tessa and watched her stand unsteadily on her feet. She looked around the room, her gaze lingering on Elena's corpse, before regarding the man who had saved her life.

"I'm Tessa," she said before kicking Cloud between the legs with her boots. He let out a high-pitched squeal and grabbed his groin before falling to the ground in a fetal position. Tessa let out a long laugh before squatting next to him and looking directly into his Mako-mutated eyes. "That was for stabbing me, you stupid bastard."

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A/N: Hopefully, that wrapped up any loose ends, and I just _loved_ the ending, that's so Tessa! So, she could be ending the world, huh? And what's the deal with the Sorceress Powers? I love plot twists that make good fodder for (possible) sequels. Oh, and messing around with touching reunions in the afterlife. Cookies to whomever can tell me where the so-called reunion takes place

And people, I'm finding it harder and harder to write this fic because I have no motivation. Reviews, no matter how long or short, are that motivation. I know you guys are reading, so just write a sentence or two commenting on my hard work, please?


	63. Sneak Preview

Sneak Preview

A/N: I can't think of anything to write for "Resurrection" or "This Could Be Trouble," so I'm going to give you guys a special preview of my next big project. It's a sequel to "Resurrection" that's going to be in a different, darker direction. (Go alliteration!)

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The cockpit of Trabia Garden hadn't changed much since the war, back when it was still Balamb Garden. Nida was still the pilot and there were still two raised platforms behind the navigation centre that he operated. Now the main difference was the fact that Quistis Trepe no longer a fixture on one of said platforms. However, taking up the position she had held so long go was the third wartime occupant of the cockpit. With her elevated status and intimidating demeanour, Xu was glad to be back with her good friend and onetime lover.

"I still can't believe you actually slept with her. She's bald, for Hyne's sake! What were you thinking?" Xu chastised the pilot in her usual brash manner. "Who knows what diseases you could've gotten, and now you have this damn weight around your neck for the rest of your life."

"Just back off, Xu," Nida warned as he guided the Garden through calm waters that served as the main barrier between the mobile fortress and the dead world around them. To look at everything from his vantage point, things still appeared clam and normal. His friend knew better. She had seen the dangers of the dead, and knew that Nida's kind heart was just as dangerous as the Rots. Nida disagreed with her. "I know that you don't like her, but that is the mother of my child that you're talking about. She may have made mistakes, but that doesn't mean I can't care about her. If I recall, I once cared about you in a similar fashion when all my friends warned me not to."

Xu angrily stomped her feet but continued to try to get her point across. There were things that he didn't know. "Yeah, your friends told you to stay away from me. They did that because I was focused and put my career as a SeeD above everything else. You knew that about me, though. Hyne, we already knew each other for years before anything developed between us. This… _girl_ is a complete stranger to you. The only thing you guys had to do with each other is sex, and that only happened one time. Can't you see I'm just trying to protect you?"

"I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself just fine," Nida retorted as he lazily drifted around the wreckage of a ship. It was becoming more and more common to encounter vestiges of older times, from before the sickness struck the planet. Nobody knew what had started the dead to rise, and the only thing they did know was that to "kill" them required trauma to the head.

"No, you can't. You're too trusting. I know things, Nida. I actually listen when people talk about her. This girl has been involved in numerous fights with Garden personnel, both staff and non-staff. She's vulgar and rude. Hell, you've had to pull bottles of alcohol out of her hands _after_ she found out she was pregnant. Is that really the kind of person you want to be involved with? Do you really want that kind of gutter trash to drag you down with her? She tried to get an abortion, but Dr. Welsh wouldn't do it because she's not qualified."

The pilot refused to look at Xu as he responded to her complaints and accusations. Just because he spent all of his time in the cockpit or with the woman carrying his child didn't mean that he was clueless. "I know, she told me."

"The little witch told you?" Xu gasped, raising her hand to her mouth in shock. This was her best friend. How could he not tell her what was going on? "When?"

"When she got drunk, Xu. I took her back to my dorm and she spent the entire night bawling on my sofa as I tried to get some coffee in her. She said that she hated being nothing more than an incubator and that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. That's how she put it: cold and clinical with talk of embryos and other BS," Nida admitted as the ruined ship finally passed out of his view. He hated everything that was going on. Why hadn't he worn a condom?

"Nida, this girl is no good for you. She's already made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want anything to do with you or the baby. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to kill it with a wire hanger yet. They do that you know. Teenage girls get pregnant and panicked, so they perform their own abortions by hooking the baby with a bent coat hanger and pulling it out of their bodies."

It took everything he had to keep from screaming at Xu to shut up. The SeeD thought she was helping him, but all it did was irritate him. They weren't an item anymore, she had no reason to tell him what to do.

"Is it at all possible that you can even try to understand what she's going through?" he ranted at Xu, letting his attention waver from his steering responsibilities as he turned to face the woman who was laying out a scenario of his child's death. "She's young, pregnant, and scared. There are no protocols telling people how to act in these situations. I've talked with Quistis about this extensively. The girl you're talking about has suffered more than you or I could ever imagine. Nobody knows what happened to her after Shinra got their hands on her. Tessa won't tell anyone anything, not even Edea! Yes, you survived the infestation of Galbadia City, but so did she. She also didn't have an army rescue her and keep her safe as they formed evacuation plans. Squall almost murdered her back at Balamb Garden, and nobody knows why. Forgive me for not seeing your point of view, but that sounds like a lot to happen to a person in a matter of weeks."

"She had it hard, I get that," Xu cried in defence. "That doesn't give her free license to act like a maniac, though. Look at yourself, Nida. She gave you a black eye for Hyne's sake! Why won't you wake up and see Antessence Matleo for what she really is?"

"And just what is she?" the pilot asked curiously.

"A whore who's trying to take advantage of a good friend of mine, and I won't let that happen. You mean too much to me!"

Nida let out a bitter laugh and turned back to his work. "Xu, we're not getting back together. I have a kid on the way. I have a commitment to the mother of my child, whether you like it or not."

"She doesn't want you! All she does is scream and curse at you, and you don't deserve it! As for us getting back together, what makes you think I want that to happen? Believe it or not, I'm over you," Xu screamed at Nida in outraged frustration.

"Ahem," a feminine voice interrupted. Nida and Xu turned around to see a short, rather unassuming looking woman who appeared to be no older than the girl they were currently arguing about. "Excuse me, but I'm here to relieve you."

"Thank you, Sitara," Nida said to the night pilot of Trabia Garden. He stepped away from the controls and brushed past Xu without a word. However, when he reached the lift that had just been drowned out by his arguing, he turned back to Xu with a fiery expression that didn't frighten her in the least. "If you don't mind, I have a woman waiting for me. Someone who just happens to be holding my future inside of her. Goodnight, Xu."

"Just be careful," the SeeD said with a sigh as she ignored the nervous relief pilot who was stepping up to the controls.

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A/N: There, I've ruined the end of "Resurrection" for you. Tessa is pregnant, Nida is the father, and Xu is alive. I don't know if I'm using this scene in the actual story or not, but I can tell you that there is more to it than baby drama. Now I just have to figure out what to write for the two stories that I actually am working on…


	64. Chapter 60

Chapter Sixty:

A/N: Since the last actual chapter, I've recently come into some interesting movies. I have both _Resident Evil_ movies, _Land of the Dead_, and _Advent Children_, amongst others. The action was awesome in _Resident Evil: Apocalypse_ and _Advent Children_, but the plot was less than I'd hoped for where both was concerned. _Land of the Dead_ was probably the best, since it had it all. I'm going to stop and let you read now.

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"That was not necessary," Vincent drawled as he broke away from his battle with Rude. Cloud was just recovering from Tessa's vicious attack and hadn't even managed to stand up.

"I know, but it felt good," Tessa replied with a sinister grin. If it had been anyone but Vincent receiving the look, they would've shivered.

Cloud groaned and grabbed his sword as Vincent fired off a few more rounds at Rude to the keep the Turk away. As was expected, Rude easily dodged the bullets and blasted Vincent with his Fire Materia. The caped gunman flew backward and crashed against a wall.

"Get out of here, you crazy bitch," Cloud ordered as he used his sword to steady himself as he stood. His eyes were squinted in concentration as he raised his arms and pointed his sword at Rude. "You don't have any idea what you're up against."

Tessa laughed and strutted over to Elena's corpse, making a show of her contempt by kicking away the reanimated skull. It arced through the air and landed in the middle of the room with a thud. She then patted the dead Turk down until she felt an odd bulge. The medic reached into Elena's pocket and produced the collar she had worn since the beginning of her journey to Galbadia City.

"You've been through a hell of a lot with me," she whispered as she fingered the leather strap. The sounds of battle between the three men in the room didn't bother her as she reminisced. The collar had been the one constant thing in her tumultuous new life, even though it was also the cause of it. Dangling off it was the pin that housed the powers of Shiva. Tessa removed Shiva, pinned the GF to her shirt, and threw the collar as far away as she could. "Stupid piece of shit.

**It's so great to be junctioned again. I actually missed you, Girly.**

_Call me that again, and I'll melt you into tooth fillings and make sure that you're put into the cavities of some fat little bastard with a chocolate fetish._

**Nice to see that you've mellowed out. People usually become all stressed and whatnot when separated from their GFs. By the way, what happened while I was away?** Shiva wondered sarcastically.

_You stupid bitch!_ Tessa mentally screamed. _Listen, just get your frozen ass out here, and turn that guy with the sunglasses on into that kind of cheese with all of the holes. Are we clear?_

**You really need anger management. I'm sad that Adette's dead, but I'm not screaming and throwing threats around.**

_You knew she was dead?_ Tessa asked in amazement. _How?_

**I told you. When a GF is junctioned, they can "read" their host's memories.**

_Whatever, just get out here and kill the fucking guy already_.

There was yet another flash of light that blinded all of the lab's occupants, even Rude with his sunglasses was affected. When everyone was able to see again, they all saw a scantily clad woman with pale blue skin and long blonde hair. Mist billowed around her feet and the floor seemed to freeze wherever she touched it. She looked back at Tessa with an obnoxious wink before raising her arms above her head. A large, swirling mass of ice and snow began to surround her hands. The GF brought her hands down dramatically, with a visible and pronounced flourish.

A wave of iciness flew at Rude, momentarily encasing him in a valley of frozen water. He looked around curiously until he noticed the ice was beginning to crack. The Turk covered his head as Tessa had done when the same attack, only on a much weaker scale, was used on her so long ago in the town of Timber.

"Duck!" Tessa screamed at Cloud and Vincent as the ice shattered. It flew all around the room, imbedding itself into bodies, electrical devices, and even the floor. The only things that remained unscathed were the glass sections of the cylindrical tubes.

"Vincent, get her out of here!" Cloud shouted as he stood up and tore a chunk of frost out of his arm. "She's doing more harm than good."

Tessa was torn between yelling an outward response at Cloud and an inward scolding of Shiva. Vincent saved her from that predicament by jumping into the air and landing beside her. The girl looked at him upclose for the first time and balked. "What the fuck are you?"

"Come with me," Vincent ordered as he swept his cape over her head. She blinked and when he lowered it they were in a large hallway.

"How the fuck did you do that?" Tessa asked as she looked around in amazement. It seemed impossible, yet they were no longer in the laboratory with Rude, Cloud, and the bodies of Adette and Elena. "Where the hell are we? What kind of shit is this?"

"My, such language," Vincent chuckled as he wrapped his cloak back around himself. "We really should leave now."

"And why in Hyne's name should I do that? I don't even know you. You could be another fucking psycho," Tessa accused with a pointed finger. She was tired of all of the deceit and conspiracies. What she wanted was answers, not warnings.

"I am many things, but 'psycho' is not one," Vincent said darkly.

A cold laugh broke out that caught the attention of both warriors. Not for the first time, Tessa spun around and found herself staring down a Blonde woman. Scarlet had returned, and two men in the blue Shinra uniform stood behind her. Each had a gun trained on a potential escapee.

"Would it bother you for me to disagree?" Scarlet asked snidely. She was still wearing a dress that clung far too tightly to her aging body. This dress, though, it wasn't red. It was blue and had a skirt that rose dangerously high up her thigh, not to mention the plunging neckline that revealed a pair of breast that had obviously been augmented via surgery.

"You bitch!" Tessa screamed as she attempted to charge Scarlet. Having the more level head of the two, Vincent prevented her attack by having a firm grasp on right arm.

"That would not be wise," he warned.

Scarlet covered her mouth and giggled, sending Tessa into a deeper rage that gave Vincent enough cause for concern to justify holding both of the medic's hands behind her back to prevent her from doing something foolish. Meanwhile, the president of Shinra continued to laugh at the pair. The two soldiers said not a word, though. They managed to retain all semblance of dignity by completely focusing their attention on their firearms and their targets.

"How true," Scarlet quipped in mock agreement. She even lowered her hand from her mouth. Of course, she gave Vincent a mock salute before acknowledging Tessa with a false gasp. "What a surprise. Two of this corporation's finest creations have met face to face. I never would have thought it possible."

"I'm going to kill you! That fucking dress of yours is going to be stained with your blood!" Tessa screamed as she fought against Vincent. It didn't do her any good because she was in a weakened state, having barely survived her stabbing courtesy of Cloud. "Do you hear me? I'm going to rip your fucking head off!"

"Such language," Scarlet said with a smirk. "If you don't settle down, I may just have to introduce you to my newest associate."

**Something feels off about this.**

_Shut the hell up!_ Tessa screamed at her GF. _Can you just be quiet for once?_

"What do you mean by 'associate'?" Vincent inquired as he fought to keep a gold of Tessa. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins at an insane rate, and it was becoming harder to restrain the potential powerhouse within. However, Vincent had plenty of practice concerning the retention of one's inner demons. It was because of that ability that he was even able to keep a grip on her, let alone actually stop her. Weak or not, there was nothing more dangerous than an angry woman.

**I'm telling you, this isn't good.**

Tessa ignored Shiva and managed to free one arm. Her hand curled into a fist and she tried once more to lunge at the older woman, but Vincent still had a hold on her other arm. This didn't reassure the Shinra guards, both of whom readjusted their aim on the bald teenager. Scarlet was completely unaffected.

"Hmm, it seems I will have to. My sources tell me that you two have already come into contact. You might not remember her, since you only met once. I think it might have been the day you first ran into our lovely little Turk: Elena. Have you seen her around? She never showed up for our meeting."

There was silence as the sound of boots clicked on the linoleum floor. Even Tessa was quiet as she waited for whatever danger was bound to show. It was an image right out a horror film. The creature was large, with grey skin that was peeling off its body and empty eye sockets that continuously leaked a thick, yellow fluid. Even through the gore, though, Tessa felt a sense of familiarity.

"What is this?" Vincent asked as he continued to keep a tight grip on Tessa while inching his free hand towards his cape.

"This is the counterpart of the young woman in your company. I'm surprised you didn't know. Aren't you supposed to be the mysterious one who knows everything?"

"What the fuck have you done?" Tessa screamed. She had regained control of her body, but was no longer attempting to harm Scarlet.

Scarlet laughed again and raised a hand in front of her face. She snapped her fingers and one of the guards reached into his pocket to hand her a small remote control with two knobs a large red button. The woman stroked the button with a finger while sizing up Vincent and Tessa.

"I wonder if my newest creation can destroy two obsolete ones," Scarlet pondered aloud. She turned one of the dials and the creature seemed to grow taller. "Once upon a time, there was a girl who contracted the T-Virus. Then she was transported to Junon and became something much more."

"You said that I was injected with the T-Virus here," Tessa whispered in denial. "You said that I was Alex. What the hell is that thing?"

"I wasn't talking about you," Scarlet said as she turned the other dial. The mass of the monster increased in tandem with its height until it was thrice the size of a normal man. "We now have the original; we don't need you anymore. Alex is back with Shinra. Now say hello to this lovely thing that we concocted with the aid of Umbrella's old Nemesis project."

"Nemesis?" Vincent said as he narrowed his eyes. He let go of Tessa and a look of concentration crossed his face. Then it exploded into fear. "You couldn't possibly be that mad!"

"So you're familiar with it," Scarlet noted. "Then you know what to expect."

Tessa hated being out of the loop. She wanted to know what was going on. "Would one of you stupid fuckers please tell me what the fuck is going on? What do you mean you have Alex? You told me that I'm Alex. And what the fuck is Nemesis?"

"Run," Vincent ordered as he stood n front of Tessa. "Leave now."

"Not until I find out what the hell is going on!" Tessa screamed. She tried to pass Vincent, but he held out an arm to block her.

"You have been advised. I will not warn you again," Vincent informed Tessa while keeping his eyes on the remote in Scarlet's hand.

"Are the lovebirds having a spat?" Scarlet laughed. She turned around and looked at the two with an ugly sneer. "Come boys, I have a meeting to get to."

The two guards walked backwards, their guns still trained on Tessa and Vincent. Scarlet raised the remote so that the duo could see her finger press the button before she disappeared around a corner.

A roar shook the hallway as the creature, the "Nemesis," suddenly became animated in its behaviour. It walked toward Vincent and Tessa at a normal pace, not the languid one that Rots use. Vincent pulled out two guns, one in each hand, and began firing on it. One, two, three bullets slammed into its chest. Chunks of rotted meat and blackened blood flew from it and onto the walls and floor, but it didn't stop the Nemesis.

Vincent flew through the air and crashed into a wall after he was struck by the behemoth. A large crack formed in the wall upon impact, and Vincent crumpled on the floor with both weapons at his side.

"Shit."

Tessa recognized the danger and ran as fast as she could down the hall. The sounds of the Nemesis followed her, frightened her. She knew that there was no way she would be able to beat the monstrosity. Even with Shiva's help, it was highly unlikely.

"_You will get out of here. I guarantee it."_

Tessa smashed into a wall at a turn she hadn't noticed. She fell backwards, sprawled on the floor and biting back a gasp from the pain. She reached up and felt her nose. It wasn't broken, but blood was flowing freely from it.

What had distracted the teenager was a voice inside her head that wasn't her own, and it didn't belong to Shiva.

_Did you hear that?_ she asked the GF. Something was wrong. Hearing voices was a common sign of mental instability.

**Hear what?**

_That voice. Just now. It sounded familiar, and feminine._

**Was it Adette?** the GF inquired.

Before Tessa could answer, she felt a large hand grasp her leg and pick her up. She dangled about seven feet in the air as the large creature held her up. The stench emanating from it was indeed similar to that of the Rot's, indicating that this was indeed one of the undead. Her instincts told her to look it in the eyes, to try to control it like she had been able to the Rots. Of course, she hadn't realized what was happening until the dream, but that didn't matter. When she tried looking it in the eyes, though, she found that the sockets were empty. Tessa had forgotten that particular detail.

"Release her!" Tessa heard someone shout. Then more gunfire broke out. Bullets slammed into the Nemesis, one even struck Tessa in the right shoulder, but the creature did not release her. Instead, it turned around with an unnaturally silent Tessa in its painful grasp. She was fighting to hold back the tears on the pain in both her stressed leg and her freshly injured shoulder.

The shooter was Vincent Valentine. He had recovered rather quickly from his own injuries. Something was different about him, though. The wires that had held his mouth closed had disappeared.

"I'm warning you, release the girl," Vincent ordered as he raised a gun and fired another round into its chest, which had the same effect as the other shots: none.

Tessa was struggling to speak. Aside from the fact that there was unbearable pain coursing throughout her battered body, her mind was trying to decide whether to chew Vincent out or tell him to aim for the creature's brain.

"Enough," Vincent said calmly as he lowered the firearm in realization that it was having no effect. There was only one thing to do now. He had to transform.

It started with his cape billowing behind him before flowing into his head of hair and turning it red. Then his face stretched out into a muzzle shape and his clothes were sucked into his body, which was beginning to grow violet fur. His finger and (presumably) his toes melted together before growing out and forming large claws. When everything finished, Vincent had become a large beast that was the size of a human but brimmed with power.

What was once Vincent jumped at the Nemesis, attacking it with its new claws. More hunks of meat flew to the wayside, but the taller monster was completely unfazed. It knocked the transformed hero to the side easily with its free hand, Tessa clutching her wounded shoulder with her left hand in a vain attempt to suppress the bleeding.

Vincent, or whatever he now was, rose and energy began to gather in its mouth in a fashion similar to that of Bahamut and Neo-Bahamut. This time, Tessa did scream as the energy beam flew at the creature holding her.

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A/N: Wow, it's done. Took long enough, if you ask me. And the whole Xu thing _will_ be answered in the sequel. What you should be concerned with is the voice Tessa heard while trying to escape from the Nemesis. Oh, and a cameo to the first person to successfully guess who the Nemesis is. (I left enough clues, but you might have to go back several chapters to figure it out.)

Also, the whole Alex thing is getting more complex, isn't it? Believe me, when I reveal who/what she is, my loyal readers will slap their foreheads at the obviousness of her identity. Well, until next time…


	65. Chapter 61

Chapter Sixty-One:

A/N: Since no one figured out who Nemesis is, there will be no cameos… And here I thought I was being clever. Not to worry, though, I will go ahead and tell you who it is anyway.

Erin Sans (the sick girl who was the cause of Tessa having to go in the woods) is Nemesis. Not a major character to the fic, so not much time will be spent on her outside of the violence area. Now you know what happened to her way back when…

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Quistis brushed a long strand of blonde hair from her face and attempted to stop her laboured breathing. She didn't know how long it had been since Hunter and she had escaped from the Shinra guard, leaving behind Yuffie. It made her feel awful to abandon the ninja. Yuffie had been the one to insist that the two flee. She was fighting a battle with a man in a SOLDIER uniform. The instructor had seen the get-up before, fought the men herself on occasion. There had been an incident on her first mission after she became a SeeD. It had been an infiltration into Midgar on behalf of a man named Dio; they retrieved some kind of schematics on a new vehicle capable of crossing deserts and rivers. However, two men in purple jumpsuits had attacked her group and they managed to fight to a standstill.

"Instructor?" the SeeD's companion asked, interrupting her reminiscence. "Where are we? What should we do?"

"I don't know," Quistis admitted as images of violence and bloodshed faded from her mind's eye. "This is my first time in Junon, if that's even where we are. Shinra probably has secret bases all over the world. We could be back on Balamb Island for all I know."

Hunter pouted and prepared to whine when he felt the tall woman pull him into a nearby room. The lights were out so they didn't know where they were or who was there. About twenty seconds later the sound of rapid footsteps passed by and his eyes widened in shock.

"How did you know?" Hunter whispered throatily as he placed a hand on the small of the Instructor's back. She pushed him away, suddenly understanding Tessa's aversion to him. He was just like Irvine, and one self-proclaimed ladies' man was more than enough for her to handle. Hunter was just another young man with a one-track mind.

"I listen. That's why you weren't approved to take an exam this semester."

Quistis closed the door with a click and felt around for a light switch. Almost immediately, the room burst into an explosion of white light.

Even though neither one knew of its existence, the room they now occupied was an exact replica of the laboratory that Tessa awoken in. The only difference was what the trio of cylinders contained. Instead of clones of famous (Tessa being the only exception) people, there were man-sized creatures that appeared to have no flesh or hair, as if it had all been forcefully stripped away. They also lacked eyes. The last fact was the most perplexing, since all three of the creatures appeared to know exactly where Quistis and Hunter stood.

The instructor backed up in horror until she found herself pressed against a wall. The creatures were easily among the vilest of things that she'd ever seen. Only the monster in the Great Salt Lake between Fisherman's Horizon and Esthar surpassed them in gruesomeness, and it wasn't by much.

Hunter reacted differently, though. The young man walked up to the nearest of the columns and pressed a hand against it as the creature trapped in slammed against the glass. The glass didn't crack and Hunter didn't move. He was fascinated.

"Mr. Vance!" Quistis shrieked in a manner that was not at all what was expected of her. She was supposed to be the calm one, always in control. The events of the last several days had severely depleted her ability to cope. Too much had happened too fast.

"Alex…" was all he said in response as he pressed his face against the glass. A large claw struck the transparent source of containment but bounced off harmlessly.

Something odd was happening to her student. Quistis didn't know what it was, but it was enough to draw out some semblance of her old, calculating veneer.

The SeeD walked up to Hunter and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to her and caught the Instructor off guard. His face was blank, but his eyes were alive with untold memories. Quistis wondered just what he was thinking when she shook him and repeated his name.

"Alex… she said that these… I didn't…" the white-haired youth mumbled under his breath before turning back and staring at the monster.

"Who is Alex?" Quistis asked quietly as she removed her hand from her student.

Hunter said nothing more. He just continued to stare at the bizarre monstrosity before him.

There was the sound of a door being slammed open and a hearty laugh. Quisis whirled around, hand unlatching her belt in case she needed to go on the offensive. However, when she saw who it was, the Instructor stopped and breathed a sigh of relief.

---

The sounds of gunfire had faded, and hoping that he was avoiding the combatants, Irvine peered around a corner with Peacemaker in his steady grip. Clutching one hand to the back of his shirt and the other holding the jacket closed, Eisis was all but attached to him.

Body parts littered the floor, most of them burnt to little more than piles of black ash. The marksman eased himself around the corner. Eisis gasped at the gruesome sight and hid her face in his back once more. If he were indeed the cad he made himself out to be, Irvine would have capitalized on the young woman's fear without delay. However, he was too interested in one particular figure amongst the inanimate bodies.

They had met once before, at the infamous Arkalay Conventions, the official end of the Sorceress War. That was how Irvine recognized Yuffie Kisiragi. He ran to the injured ninja and grabbed her limp wrist. He felt no pulse. Then the cowboy pressed two digits to her neck and detected a slight sign of life.

"Shit," he groaned as Eisis placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you know her?"

"Sort of," the sharpshooter admitted. "If I were junctioned, I could heal her. These bastards stole my GF, though. I can't do a thing."

Neither one said another word. Eisis just tightened her grip on Irvine. The cowboy looked up at her and had to keep from crying out.

The young woman who always hid behind him was glowing. Not brightly, but just enough for someone up close to notice. Then the shining aura surrounding her gathered itself into a swirling white ball and floated just before her surprised yet calm face. The sphere slowly floated up and into the ceiling, igniting the sprinklers on the way. Irvine wondered why they hadn't been activated before as the water dripped down onto him.

"What the hell is this?" he asked the girl as she looked around in shock. The drops of water began pooling around Yuffie, glowing green as she was submerged beneath the liquid that seemed to be confined to just where she was. It was almost like the fluid was sentient: like it was acting on of its own accord.

"I don't know," Eisis confessed as she stared at her own hands with a mixture of awe and horror on her face.

Yuffie began coughing and jerked to a sitting position as she struggled for breath. Then the jade flood collapsed in on itself and disappeared leaving behind three shockingly dry people.

"The Lifestream?" Yuffie wondered aloud. "How is that possible? Aeris is usually too busy covering Cloud's ass to care about me…"

Then the ninja then caught sight of the other two living beings in the hallway. She had a look of vague familiarity when eyed Irvine, much to his disappointment. He had prided himself on the ability to leave a clear impression on the fairer sex. However, when she caught sight of Eisis, Yuffie's eyes almost popped out of her eyes. Tifa had told her about Cloud's interactions with the dead Ancient, but now she was seeing her. It didn't seem possible.

"Is it really you? Of course it is. How else would I explain the Lifestream?" Yuffie commented as she looked at the carnage around her. When her eyes fell onto a figure in a violet jumpsuit, she snorted before thumping her chest with her hand. "Of course I won. There's nobody around that can match my incredible skills. SOLDIER is nothing compared to me."

Irvine wondered what was wrong with the girl as she began gloating to no one in particular about her amazing martial arts abilities. It was like listening to Zell, only with black hair and breasts.

Yuffie stood up and walked over to Eisis, who cowered behind Irvine in response. The ninja continued her pursuit undaunted, though. "It is you!"

"I'm who?" Eisis squeaked as she pressed herself against the wall in an attempt to escape Yuffie's scrutinizing eyes.

"You mean you're not? But you look just like her…" the other girl said. Then she backed up and really looked Irvine over. "Aren't you one of those SeeD guys we just rescued? I thought you were going to rescue a couple chicks and get out of here. What happened to Vincent and that chick with the eye patch?"

"I honestly don't know. We were ambushed by a couple of guys and a cute little blonde number. They were all wearing these blue business suits."

"Turks!" Yuffie shouted as she pushed Irvine rather viciously. He collided with a wall right after Eisis moved out of the way. "You have to take me there! Now!"

The cowboy rubbed his neck and became very aware of just how much like Zell she was. "Fine. I just never thought it would be evading the clutches of a power company that got me alone with two hotties."

---

"Cid Highwind. How long has it been?" Quistis asked herself as much as she was the vulgar pilot. Hunter hadn't seemed to notice his appearance, though. The know-it-all still had his face pressed against one of the cylindrical containment units. "Was it the Arkalay Conventions or the unveiling of Esthar's new fleet of airships? I just can't remember."

Cid leered at Quistis's warm smile before turning to the boy with the white hair. "Who the fuck's that? You finally get yourself a damn boyfriend? O r is he just a fuck buddy?"

Quistis laughed while Hunter turned around and cocked an eyebrow. The would-be mage was unfamiliar to Cid's behaviour and unaware of his relationship with Quistis, so he didn't quite know how to react.

"No, he's just a student," the Instructor told him. Hunter then lost interest and turned back to the caged monstrosity. "Seriously, though, we need your help. We need to escape from this place, but have no idea how. Could you help us?"

"Sure thing. We'll split from this fucking place on an aircab. I've been here plenty of times, just let me lead you two to where they are."

Then Hunter chose to speak up. "Instructor? What about the others? We can't very well leave Antessence, your cowboy friend, or our rescuers behind. I am afraid I must insist on you helping me retrieve them."

"Mr. Vance," Quistis said in a tired voice. "They can take care of themselves. I don't like the idea of leaving without them either, but we're of no good to anyone if we're dead. We need to leave while we have the chance. Besides, Antessence is from this area, too. I am sure that when they escape that she will lead them to your old Garden."

"So?" Cid shouted just to get their attention back on him. "Are we leaving this fucking heap of shit or not?"

---

Irvine stood in front of the door that led into the labs he had escaped from about an hour before. Eisis wasn't too happy about being back, but she didn't voice her complaints. On the other hand, Yuffie all but shoved the others out of the way and crashed in the room.

"All right, everybody, Yuffie's here! It's time to get your…" the ninja shouted until she realized that there was only one person standing in the word. Lying near each other in a corner were the bodies of two women. One was Elena, but Yuffie didn't recognize the other. She approached the one who was still standing as he loomed over the body of his defeated foe, seemingly oblivious to her existence. "Cloud?"

The killer of Sephiroth turned his head in her direction. His face was smeared with blood and completely devoid of emotion.

"Are you okay?" Yuffie inquired as the other two entered the room to find it in a shape not unlike that of the hall in which they had found the ninja. The swordsman nodded before turning to regard his teammate's companions. There was no interest in Irvine, but when he laid eyes on Eisis his features softened slightly, almost liked he was fighting the urge to smile. Yuffie noticed this and placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's not her."

"But she looks…" Cloud argued until he found himself cut off by a stern look.

"Look, it's not who you think it is. Now tell me what the hell went on here," demanded the teenager.

"I killed them."

"That's obvious. What I want to know is what led up to the fight," Yuffie clarified with a role of her eyes. "You can be such a pain in the ass, you know that?"

Cloud cleared his throat and hoisted his sword onto his shoulder, staring at Eisis out of the corner of his eye. "They were already fighting when I got here. Then I killed Elena and Rude."

"Who else was here?" Irvine asked. He recognized Adette's body, since he'd been the one to fire on it, but couldn't find a trace of the others.

"There was Vincent and a bald girl," Cloud answered venomously. It was obvious that he didn't like being grilled. Instinctively, Irvine rested his hand on the hand of Peacemaker. "After I killed Elena, I told them to get out of here. I haven't seen anyone since."

Then Eisis decided it was her turn to talk. "What are you doing?"

The swordsman blinked in surprise. This woman sounded exactly like _her_, if only a little more unnerved. He would never be able to forget her voice. It haunted him in his dreams and his thoughts. "I'm not doing anything."

Eisis shook her head timidly and pointed past him with a shaking hand. "I was talking to her."

The two men focused their attention on the image of Yuffie bent over Rude's corpse, her hands probing every inch of his clothing. She looked at them in confusion. "What? Would you rather I let their Materia go to waste? I might as well get it. They won't be using it anytime soon."

At that moment, Eisis screamed and Irvine did draw Peacemaker. Rude, his eyes still hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, grabbed one of Yuffie's arms and bit down. The ninja joined Eisis and let out a cry of fear and pain as a portion of her forearm disappeared.

The sound of a firing gun rang throughout the room and Rude fell back to the ground with a small wound just left of the centre of his forehead.

Irvine cocked the antique firearm again and aimed it at Yuffie who looked at him as though he were mad. She held a hand over her wound, but it did nothing to stop the flow of blood. The only sound was Eisis's cries for the cowboy to stop until Cloud's boots crunched on the floor. The blonde warrior placed himself between Irvine and Yuffie, the tip of his blade held at the other man's throat. "Do it and I swear to Soa that I will kill you."

Very aware of the sword, Irvine gulped but stood his ground. "I have to do it. She'll die, and then she'll come back and kill any living thing in sight. I've seen it before, had friends die because of it."

The memory of Raijin ripping out Selphie's throat flashed into the sharpshooter's mind but he fought it back and kept his cool.

"I don't give a fuck," Cloud warned. "If you so much as aim a camera in her direction, you'll suffer the same fate as that man you just shot."

By this time, Eisis had become afraid of everyone around. She walked around Cloud and knelt next to Yuffie, who was shaking and had tears pouring down her face. "It'll be okay. We'll get out of here," the frightened woman assured the terrified girl.

"Do you think it's true?" Yuffie asked in a voice that was much shakier than Eisis's. "I've seen some pretty messed up shit in my life, but that's just beyond belief. People don't die and come back. It just isn't possible. Is it? I saw the wounds Cloud gave him. There's no way he could've survived that."

At the mention of his name, Cloud turned to the two women and offered Yuffie a hand. The frightened teenager stood and looked very uncertain.

"We're leaving," Cloud told Irvine. "You can come with us, but if you try anything, you'll be dead faster than it's a bullet to leave a gun. Are we clear?"

The marksman nodded, eyeing Yuffie warily. With that, the quartet left behind the lab, the Turks, and all of their Materia.

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A/N: Sorry it's taken so long, but I just got so blocked on this thing. I know it's not written very well. However, there were a few important details in this chapter that will come into play with the finale and the probable sequel. (I haven't decided if I'm going to do _Redemption_ or not. It would be another large undertaking, and I don't know if I'm ready for something else of that magnitude. I already have an SI on my hands, after all.)


	66. Chapter 62

Chapter Sixty-Two:

A/N: Again, sorry about the last chapter. This one should make up for it in the fact that we _finally_ find out whom Alex is. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise if you've paid attention to the little details.

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Tessa awoke in pain. It took awhile for her to gather her wits enough to focus on just where it was, but after a few seconds, she felt a sharp pain lance through her shoulder. She opened her eyes to try to find where she was, but the only things her vision found was another set of eyes.

"How wonderful, my precious little experiment is awake," a familiar voice drawled with a hint of amusement. As the blonde woman stepped back, her familiar leer was plastered on the aging face. "Could you tell me how you managed to escape my lovely Nemesis creature? When we found you, you were all alone. Did your caped friend help you out?"

"I'm going to kill you!" Tessa screamed as she lunged at Scarlet, but the pain in her shoulder blossomed anew and the girl screamed for another reason entirely.

The executive covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. "You're not that perceptive, or original, are you?"

Tessa wondered what Scarlet was talking about. She looked around and saw that she was being held up by two men in the uniform of the Shinra guard. After getting over that shock, the rest of her surroundings came into view.

They were in yet another lab. This one was different from the one she had first awoken in, though. There were no glass columns containing various people, just one sole sphere set into a wall with a single woman inside, curled up into a ball and submerged in a clear, blue liquid. Short, grey hair waved in the fluid. An eye socket normally covered by a black patch was revealed as little more than scar tissue.

"Why the hell is Fujin in there?" Tessa asked as she struggled to break out of the grips of her captors, doing little more than causing pains to shoot up and down her wounded arm.

Again, Scarlet laughed. "That girl's name is not Fujin. That is you, my dear. You are in there."

Vomit lodged itself in Tessa's throat as she realized just what it was the president of the corporation was saying. It didn't seem possible. All of those months, that time on the boat. She would have recognized the face of one of her best friends.

"You're lying. She's dead," Tessa accused. All it did was cause Scarlet to laugh again.

"No, she's not. She's right up there. How else did you think we knew about your eyes? We cut hers out just like your girlfriend's. She didn't scream, though. Oh, how delicious it was to hear that little bitch of yours cry out, knowing all along that it was because of you. You did all of this, caused the death of your friends at that precious Garden of yours. I know how it feels to torture someone, but I don't know what mass genocide feels like. Would you tell me?" Scarlet rambled as she waved a hand in Fujin's direction.

Crimson eyes fell to the floor in defeat. There was no way Fujin was… She would have known. That day, in the garage, when she and Selphie were dismissed: the panic in Fujin's widened eye. Things didn't make sense, yet they made more sense than anything else ever could. The mystery behind the eye patch was solved. How did it come to this? It was all so complicated. Why didn't Hunter recognize her? He was closer to her than anyone else ever could be.

"That's how she knew," Tessa croaked as her eyes flew around wildly in their sockets until they rested on the hip of one of the men holding her. "She knew what a _tocaro_ was. We didn't think it was possible that she could know our mother tongue, but she did. That's why she attacked him."

"Junonian? _Tocaro_?" Scarlet rolled the words around on her tongue with amusement. "Junonian is a dead language, little girl. The only people that know it are our scientists and executives." She reached out and touched the side of Tessa's face, the girl screaming in pain as she jerked away. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire. "We also decided that our experiments should know it, too. Covert instructions."

"Fuck you," Tessa said coldly before gritting her teeth.

She lashed out with a foot, nailing the guard holding her good arm. He cried out and loosened his grip. The teenager jerked free and chopped him in the neck before rearing around and punching the other soldier in the face. Silently, she screamed as the pressure on her gunshot wound grew so intense that she nearly passed out.

Fighting the darkness, Tessa kicked at the first thing she could find. A soft "oomph!" met her ears. The teenager allowed a smile to greet her lips as she imagined Scarlet doubling over in pain.

Somebody struck her in the back of the head, but she just stumbled forward before rearing back to a kick one of her captors. The man who was still holding her injured arm cried out, let go, and grabbed his ribs. She kicked him in the stomach and he fell to his knees. Tessa knelt next to him and grabbed a handgun in a leg holster. The first shot went off in the man's leg, causing him to grab it and sink to the floor. The second lodged itself into his partner's brain.

"I am going to kill you," she spat at Scarlet. The executive glared at her, refusing to cower or beg.

Scarlet brushed her bangs behind her ears and forced a smile onto her lips. "You're not the first to say that."

"But I am the last."

Three things happened in the span of a second. Tessa pulled the trigger, the bullet flew at Scarlet's face, and then it ricocheted off an invisible wall that seemed to have formed around the blonde. Both women looked shocked. Tessa began firing again, but the bullets continued to bounce off harmlessly about a foot from Scarlet's body.

"I like this," Scarlet gloated as the firearm in Tessa's hand began to click. The teenager threw the weapon away and ran at the woman. She screamed, out of rage and pain, before throwing a punch in the executive's direction.

Rather than bounce off like the bullets, Tessa's hand was held in place. Electricity crackled around her curled fingers.

"I like this a lot."

The force of the impact was enough to knock the teenager unconscious, but something kept Tessa awake. Somehow, she had been blown backward and collided with a railing that she hadn't noticed before. Turning her head, she looked down and saw that the metal mars were the only things that had kept her from falling into a large room filled with computers and scientists. The occupants of the room, despite the fact they were less than twenty feet below her, didn't seem particularly worried. It was almost as though it were an everyday occurrence for battles to break out in their place of business.

"How?" Tessa managed to rattle as she tried, unsuccessfully, to stand up. Her feet gave out and she crashed back to the floor in an unceremonious heap.

"How what?" Scarlet asked sarcastically as she watched the electricity dance up and down an outstretched arm. She tilted her head and gave Tessa a sardonic smile. "How did I do… _this_?"

Another bolt of lightning leapt from the executive's fingertips of the executive and hit the teen right in the chest. Tessa screamed and her muscled tightened. Beads of sweat were rolling down her face and she tasted copper. Meanwhile, Scarlet pushed on, refusing to relent.

---

During Tessa's struggles with the Scarlet, several shots from the gun had gone astray. A few had lodged themselves into the machinery that controlled the containment sphere that held Fujin. As electricity lanced through one woman's body, it did the same to another's prison.

The blonde's laughter and her victim's cries drowned out the hydraulics as the sphere that held the captive opened opened. Nobody noticed as the thick liquid oozed onto the floor.

One solitary eye opened as she gasped for breath. Her lungs were struggling, and she was on the verge of hyperventilating when she sat up and forced her body to calm itself. Years upon years of enduring the unimaginable had given the woman the ability to exercise a certain degree of control over a few of her "involuntary" body functions. She was always aware of every breath, every eyelid closing. Her hearing was far better than that of anyone she had ever met.

She didn't need superior hearing to know what was going on, though. The woman slowly climbed to her feet and leapt into the air.

---

Tessa's body was racked with pain. It was like it would never end. Then it did.

She couldn't breathe, couldn't even open her eyes. All of her energy had been sapped. It was like the electrical attacks had ripped the life from her very bones. There was a buzzing noise in her ears that prevented her from being able to hear just what was going on. She couldn't understand why Scarlet had stopped.

"UP!" a rougher, stronger voice shouted over the buzzing. "MOVE!"

Two strong hands grabbed one of the teenager's arms and attempted to lift her to her feet, but Tessa was incapable of supporting herself. She couldn't even tell if the arm this new person was holding was the wounded one or not.

After a few seconds, Tessa found herself being flung over a shoulder rather carelessly and carried away.

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A/N: Rather short, I know, but I am running out of ideas for this fic. It is going to end soon. That I can guarantee. I've also decided that I won't jump right into _Redemption_, since I want to give TCBT a more solid foundation before weighing myself down with yet another project.

One thing that is for sure is that this fic won't end happily.


	67. Chapter 63

Chapter Sixty-Three:

A/N: This isn't a Tessa-centric chapter, mostly because I want to find out what happens to Yuffie! Sorry about the sloppiness of the last few chapters. My mind isn't in the same place that it was for the bulk of _Resurrection_, and I'm sure it's showing. Luckily, I'd planned how it was going to end, so all you have to worry about is my constant state of laziness.

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The quartet of tired warriors prowled the many halls of Shinra. Yuffie had recently begun to cough, and Irvine kept one eye trained on her at all times. His training as a sharpshooter had taught him many things, the first being the first opportunity to take the shot is always the best. Cover was still at its highest, and the target was unaware of the looming danger. He had blown his first opportunity to eliminate Yuffie when he allowed himself to be intimidated by Cloud. That wouldn't happen the next time.

"I'm tired," Yuffie whined as she scratched at her injury. She stopped walking and leaned against a wall while breathing heavily. "My feet hurt and my nose won't stop running. Someone carry me!"

"No," Cloud told her unsympathetically. He stopped as well and looked at her with an intensely scrutinizing glare. "You're not pulling this shit anymore. Soa knows you did enough of it when we running after Sephiroth. Shut up and suck it up. You're not that bad off. You don't even look like you've broken a sweat."

"Come on!" the ninja pleaded. Yuffie adopted a puppy-eyed look that even tugged at Irvine's manly heart. He was still determined that she would have to die, but that didn't change the fact that she was suffering. What he didn't know was that Yuffie's behaviour was disturbingly commonplace. She was always a hypochondriac. "I really don't feel good."

"No," Cloud repeated as he shook his head.

Eisis tiptoed over to the other woman and took her hand. "Umm, if you really need it, I can help you. They're a lot stronger, but I guess you can lean on me."

"Thanks," Yuffie coughed before practically throwing herself onto the Aeris-look alike. Both women stumbled, but managed to stay upright. Cloud rolled his eyes at the seemingly unnecessary charity. Reduced to all but dragging Yuffie down the hall, Eisis silently pleaded with her companions to slow the pace down.

Irvine scratched at the stubble on his chin. It was more to have something to do than an actual itch. "Do you even know where we're going? That door looks awfully familiar."

Cloud grabbed the cowboy by his shirt and threw him up against a wall. "Shut the fuck up! I am sick and tired of everyone whining! If you think you can do better, go for it. Just don't expect me to rescue your ass."

Shocked by the warrior's sudden surge of aggression, Irvine widened his eyes but didn't respond. Instinctively, one hand went to the firearm at his side while the other grabbed one of Cloud's wrists in a failed attempt to wrench himself free. The strength that the short, blonde man possessed was incredibly surprising. Irvine couldn't even seem to budge the extremity.

"I'm good," the sharpshooter choked out. Cloud released him. He straightened his standing and dusted his shirt in an attempt to show he was cool. It probably would've been denial enough for Irvine to escape with some dignity had Yuffie not called him on it.

"Ha! Cloud doesn't even scare _me_ anymore. You're such a wuss."

---

The helicopter flew over the town and military-esque Shinra HQ of Junon. Its three occupants were silent, a rarity for two of them. Quistis appreciated the moment of silence, the first since she had woken up in the clutches of the electric company. She leaned against the large window as she watched the people below gaze up in confusion. There hadn't been any clearances for a chopper to go out. Then again, the same looks of misunderstanding had been on the face of one of the men guarding the hangar before the blonde woman took his head between her hands and twisted as hard as she could.

"Where did you say this place is?" Cid asked without one of his trademark curses.

Quistis closed her eyes. Waves of disappointment washed over her as the rare moment of peace was broken. It was hard to believe that she was only twenty; she's been forced to grow up so fast. The end of the Ultimecia affair and war with Galbadia had been the moment she cut the last bit of childhood out. The Arkalay Conventions needed someone mature to operate on behalf of Garden, and everyone expected her to do it. Who was she to say no?

"Twelve kilometres northeast of Junon. You cannot miss it. The place is quite large."

Hunter had insisted that they follow the Garden directive that insisted they turn to the nearest Garden in times of trouble. Of course, it had been the Garden that he and Antessence had originated from: Lotia Garden.

It was odd to the Instructor that the school had existed without her knowledge, and, surely, the man piloting the craft would have known where it was. Before Antessence arrived at Balamb Garden, Quistis had never heard of Lotia Garden. She'd gone to Cid about it shortly after hearing the argument that had developed between the white-haired teen beside her and the redhead. He'd assured her that the facility did exist, and he'd only kept it under wraps as an ace up his sleeve in case the others fell under the power of the Sorceresses. When she pointed out that he could have informed them of its existence after Ultimecia's defeat, he shrugged it off and said that Squall did know about it.

"If it's so easy to spot, why the fuck haven't I ever seen it?" Cid shouted as he swerved the helicopter to avoid one of the winged monsters that inhabited the area. Quistis didn't know what it was because she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to even acknowledge the fact that Hunter had been thrown into her or where his hands had gone during the collision.

"Do not blame your incompetence on me," Hunter shot back as he pushed himself off the SeeD. Quistis continued to gaze out the window with closed eyes. "It is through no fault of mine that you are unable to locate an academic centre."

"Don't you shit around with me, you little fuck!" Cid screamed.

The only woman onboard the craft sighed and looked at the two men. She pushed a dirty strand of hair out of her face and took on a hardened look. "Could you two possibly act like adults? Our comrades could be dying, and you're arguing over directions."

"I apologize, Instructor," Hunter drawled as he placed his hands on the seat between them and leaned over to her. "What could I do to show my sincerity?"

"You could not act like a fucking pervert!" Cid suggested from his seat in the front of the helicopter.

Quistis shook her head and sighed again. Why did she get stuck with the loud ones? It was like listening to Zell and Irvine fight. The brawler had never approved of the cowboy, but put up with him for Selphie's sake. She wondered how he would have reacted to the knowledge that the woman, the friend he often referred to as "Instructor Trepe" had been the woman stabbing the small brunette in the back. She was the mature one, the one everybody else looked up to. How could she have become little more than a whore? Nobody had said anything, but she saw the looks in the eyes of her friends and students back in the administration building. They were disappointed in her, with the exceptions of Antessence, Hunter, Squall, and Seifer. Squall didn't seem to care, but Seifer seemed almost proud of Quistis for her actions. Perhaps he had finally felt vindicated in his belief that she was as screwed up as the rest of them. Hunter had just taken it as a sign of encouragement to begin flirting with her. However, Antessence didn't even seem to notice the fact. It was almost as though she had her mind concentrated elsewhere.

The trio rode in silence for a few more minutes before Cid unleashed another wave of expletives, this time aimed at Hunter. It appeared the directions he had given the pilot were incorrect. Hunter just shook his head and suggested that the coordinates be checked on the GPS. When they did so, Hunter sat back with a face as white as his hair. The young man leaned over Quistis, this time without groping her, and looked out the window to see nothing but forest.

"It is impossible," he whispered as he returned to his seat ran a hand through his hair. Quistis heard him and turned to her student.

"What is impossible? Either the information you gave was correct, or it was incorrect."

Hunter rubbed his eyes and looked at Quistis without a hint of lust. "Instructor, it has to be there. I grew up there. How could I not know where I lived for ten years?"

"I don't know," she answered as she looked back out the window. As the realization that there was no place to go hit her, Quistis tapped on Cid's shoulder. "I think we should return to Junon and find the others. There's nothing here."

"Shit for brains!" Cid shouted as he flipped a random switch on the console and the helicopter began a turn back to the harbour town. "Both of you have fucking shit for brains!"

---

There was a large pile of bodies when Irvine and company reached the hangar where the helicopters were kept. Concerned that there might be something to worry about, the cowboy drew his firearm while the others with weapons brought them out. Eisis merely caught of glimpse of the bodies before burying her face into Irvine's chest out of fear. If he had bothered to look, the sharpshooter would've caught a brief, and rare, glimpse of jealousy on Cloud's face.

"What happened?" Cloud asked nobody as he kicked a random body to make sure that it was indeed dead. "What do you think did this?"

"Probably Quistis and that one weird kid, Hunter," Irvine suggested as he stroked Eisis's hair.

Yuffie, pale and coughing to an extreme degree at this point, was barely standing. She held one shuriken in her right hand, but couldn't even manage to elevate that off the ground. "I think I'm going to be sick."

It was obvious Cloud was going to tell the ninja off again until she vomited at his feet and fell to her knees as her body was overtaken by heaves, dry and not.

"Help her up," Cloud ordered Eisis as he nudged the frightened woman with the tip of his sword. Irvine pushed the blade away with a grunt and told the man who once thought of himself as a member of SOLDIER to back off.

"Who died and made you boss? Besides, a pretty lady like this shouldn't have to mess with that kind of stuff."

Cloud turned his back to the other three angrily and Irvine saw his golden opportunity. He hated the thought of doing it, but killing Yuffie was the most humane thing that he could do. Squall had done it for Selphie, that Tessa girl attempted it with Raijin before his perky would-be-ex interfered. Hell, he'd shot a kid that had been bitten when he tried to board the escape vessel.

While Yuffie continued to vomit with no one, with the possible exception of Eisis who was still pressed up against the cowboy, bothering to pity her, Irvine aimed the handgun at her and pulled back on the hammer. Just before he pulled the trigger on it though, a flash of sparks went into the air as Cloud struck the weapon with his own. Yuffie looked up in confusion before returning to the sight of her own bile.

"I FUCKING WARNED YOU!" Cloud screamed as he swung at Irvine again. The cowboy barely managed to push a screaming Eisis out of the way and bring the gun up to take the blow. He was thankful that it was an older, heavier weapon. While the newer firearms were stronger by means of firepower, the antiques were of a more solid build and could easily be used for defence without fear of breaking. If he'd had his shotgun in his possession, Irvine was sure that it would have already begun to crack under the pressure of Cloud's attack.

"She's already dead," Irvine shouted back as he parried another swing from Cloud and struck with a kick that met the blonde man and knocked him to the ground.

Not having been under the harsh degree of reality that Irvine had been experiencing for the past few days, Cloud was back up immediately and rammed the younger man in the stomach with his shoulder. They both fell to the floor. Their weapons were easily lost amid the corpses. His training in martial arts not as definite as Cloud's, Irvine found himself defending more than attacking as a flurry of punches came his way.

It didn't make sense. The way Cloud acted, it would make one think that he didn't care about his ill comrade, yet they were fighting over her while she emptied her insides onto a floor that was already littered with dead men in Shinra uniforms.

"Stop!" Eisis cried as she watched the two men throw punches and roll around on the heaps of gore. Out of the corner of his eye, Irvine saw her cover her eyes and look away from them.

Something else echoed the woman's plea, and the two warriors did cease their violence. The cowboy sat up, his long hair matted with blood and other juices from the bodies around him, and looked around. He couldn't see a thing.

"What the fuck?" Cloud muttered as he rubbed his head and sat up as well. When Irvine had jerked upright, he knocked the swordsman back and the blonde man's head hit the concrete floor hair.

"Guys…" Yuffie rasped as she pointed off deeper into the hangar with a weak hand that fell to the ground seconds after she raised it. Her shuriken clattered harmlessly to the floor. Everyone else's eyes followed in the direction that the ninja had pointed as something large approached them with a roar.

Irvine looked around for Peacemaker while Cloud grabbed his violet blade and jumped up, holding the sword with both hands.

"HELP!" a woman screamed as she fell out of the shadows. She was naked, pale, and carrying another woman who just happened to be bald. Irvine was thanking Hyne for this opportunity to play hero when, joining them in the light, a large beast the same colour as Cloud's sword roared. It was the same animalistic cry that they had heard just moments before.

"Fuck no," the cowboy heard Cloud whisper before his sword began trembling. "He couldn't have. He wouldn't have."

The longhaired man watched as Eisis grabbed Yuffie and began dragging the sick girl away just as the monster in the hangar roared again and leapt, with its claws out, at the women it had been chasing.

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A/N: Another one down. If you don't know what the monster is, go back a few chapters and you'll find it. As for those of you wondering what became of Scarlet, you'll have to wait until the epilogue to find out. I'm not going to stretch this thing out anymore. It's drawing to a close. (Yay!)


	68. Chapter 64

Chapter Sixty-Four:

A/N: The last chapter in Junon! There's only one more chapter, and then the epilogue! Is anyone else as excited as me? Or are you all sad that this incredibly weird chapter in the book of fanfiction is coming to an end? Let me know.

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Tessa awoke to a lot of screaming, most of which was human. One thing that she noticed right away was that there was something that definitely _wasn't_ human nearby. If the roaring had not tipped her off, then the musk in the air would have.

She felt along the floor. Her body was too exhausted to allow her to open her eyes, much less stand. A coppery taste filled her mouth. Years of medical training or months of having the information fed into her mind let Tessa know that she tasted blood. Honestly, she couldn't understand anything anymore. Her entire life, her existence, had been ripped away in the span of an hour.

One thing was for sure: Alex was alive. Scarlet had shown her that.

"Help," the girl called in a voice that was so weak she almost didn't recognize it as her own. Tessa mentally cursed herself. She was tougher than this. She'd lived through a town filled with Rots, survived a crazed Sorceress, and had even come back from "death." She wasn't entirely convinced that she had experienced the afterlife.

"Get over yourself."

"Shiva?" Tessa whispered. No answer came and she realized that she'd been stripped of the GF once again. If that were the case, then what was she hearing?

Gunfire reached her ears as a feminine voice wailed. Someone grabbed the struggling medic by her arms and drug her along a sticky floor covered with bumps that brought nothing but agony. Each movement felt like the very fabric of her existence was being ripped apart. Neither Macone's torture nor Cloud's accidental stabbing felt like this. She doubted that even death hurt like did at that moment. If only someone was willing to rake a knife across her throat and end her pain.

"HEAL!" another woman's voice, a much rougher one than the screamer she had heard just moments earlier, screamed as Tessa felt herself being flopped down like a dead fish.

"Fuck, she's already dead. We don't have time for this," another familiar voice complained. Tessa was sure she knew it, but didn't know if it was from her fantasy or reality. "He transformed. That means that there's some serious shit hitting the fan!"

"HEAL!" the woman screamed again. There was a sound of a body hitting the floor and a man immediately began cursing. Seconds later, a flash of light bled through Tessa's eyelids and into her corneas as the pain slowly decreased. It faded until there was nothing left but exhaustion.

"Where the fuck am I?" Tessa moaned as she slowly pushed herself up, not entirely trusting her own strength. Her eyes flitted open. The first thing she saw was the frightened face of half a man sprawled on the floor next to her. His legs hips were missing, and the innards were spilled out onto the floor. Tessa counted in her head how many of the organs she could identify. There was an appendix, a split-open kidney, and several long strands of intestines.

Next, she shifted her eyes from the gruesome sight and saw another man sitting on the floor and staring at her. Tessa narrowed her eyes as she remembered how callously he had acted when he impaled her with his sword. She smiled at the memory of watching him double over in pain after she woke up.

"MOVE!" that womanly tone ordered again. The blonde man stood up, dragging a sword with him, and cast a hateful glance at something behind Tessa before charging in the direction of the gunfire. Strong hands grabbed the teenager under her arms again and hoisted her onto her feet.

"Let go of me!" Tessa shouted as she jerked free of the grip of whomever was holding her. She quickly lost her balance and crashed into one of many corpses.

There was another roar that broke and a third gunshot echoed it. The ground around Tessa began to shake and she grabbed the leg of the body she had landed on. Fighting the fatigue that had begun to set in her bones, the teenager forced herself to stand and see the situation she had been unfortunate enough to wake in.

It was a war zone. All of the bodies on the ground were dressed in the outfits of the Shinra guard. Irvine and Cloud were shooting and slashing at an impossibly fast creature, which looked incredibly familiar. It was the very monster that Vincent Valentine had transformed into in order to fend off the Nemesis creature that Scarlet had sent after them. Thinking back on the events of that day, (Scarlet torturing Adette, Elena killing the sharpshooter shortly afterward, and Cloud stabbing Tessa then not even bothering to see if she was okay before chasing after Elena,) Tessa came once more to the conclusion that Blondes were inherently evil.

While the men were holding back the force of destruction, two women were huddled behind a concrete pillar, which protected them from the onslaught. One of them was wearing the cowboy's duster and Tessa recognized her as one of her fellow Shinra creations. The other one wasn't as easy to identify. The other woman heavily obscured her body.

Tessa turned around and looked into another crimson eye. This time, it wasn't on a face that was decaying from an untold time between death and resurrection. The features were suddenly familiar, even if slightly disfigured by the scar tissue that took the place of the other eye. Pale skin, much like Tessa's own, shined in the fluorescent light. They had the same lips, same cheekbones, and the same nose. However, subtle things made the differences between the two that had kept each woman from recognizing herself in the other. Posture, mannerisms, and speech: they were all that stood between the original and the copy. Tessa had to hold herself up with nothing more than determination. She had to fight the urge the touch to touch the face, her face, before her. The danger was forgotten in that moment.

"Alex…" Tessa whispered as she finally gave in to temptation and touched one of the silver locks that covered the forehead of her duplicate.

"FUJIN," the other woman corrected while grabbing Tessa's hand and jerking it away painfully.

"Why can't I remember your face? Why did they do this to me?" cried Tessa as she fought to hold back the tears. Too many times, she had allowed herself to break down. There had to be a limit. "You knew. We didn't believe, but you knew. Hunter…"

"STOP!" Fujin screamed angrily before pushing Tessa to the ground. The warrior then proceeded to grab the sword of one of the fallen guard and charge in the direction opposite Tessa, in the path of whatever it was Vincent had become. She roared in tandem with the monster as she jumped up, blade held above her head, and sliced down. The metal bit into the flesh of the violet horror.

Crawling towards the other women, Tessa continued to curse herself for her weakness. Not only was she allowing men to defend her since she woke up, but she was letting her emotions get the best of her.

"Fuck," the teenager croaked when she finally reached the other two and sat up against the cool concrete. The woman wearing the tan jacket looked at her in confusion. Her companion was even paler than Tessa and seemed too out of it to speak. It was like she was in a vegetative state. "What the fuck are you staring at?"

"You were in the laboratory," the girl told the teenager. "Thank you. I'm Eisis."

"Tessa, not that it fucking matters. We're over our heads in this shit, and it doesn't look like we'll be climbing out of it anytime time soon," the younger of the two spat. She inclined her head at the injured one and scoffed. "What in Hyne's name is wrong with her?"

"I don't know," Eisis admitted. "Do you know anything we could do to help her?"

With her mind so full of distrust, Tessa didn't know if she should give advice on medicine or not. Sure, she'd gotten good grades and had even been taken under Dr. Kadowaki's wing at Balamb Garden, but that couldn't do anything for her rush of insecurities. So even as her mind filled with possible treatments, Tessa shook her head in defeat.

Suddenly, the third girl began to seize and flopped on the floor like a fish. Eisis looked at Tessa with scared and pleading eyes.

"Why the fuck do I always get stuck with the sick ones?" Tessa mumbled under her breath as she crawled past Eisis and bent over the other girl. Looking closely, Tessa thought that she had seen her before. Then the memory, implanted or not, of the videotape of AVALANCHE's invasion of Shinra's Junon base began replaying her head. The girl under her threw shurikens and always made sure to steal the Materia of her victims. Yuffie Kisiragi was dying.

Tessa slapped the girl to no avail. Then the seizure stopped and Yuffie's stopped breathing. Hands belonging to Tessa were pulling the ninja's mouth open and their lips met in a distinctive non-kiss.

After breathing into Yuffie's lungs, Tessa looked right at Eisis and began shouting orders. "Put your hands on her chest… No, like this! Right! Now, compress five times after every breath I give. Understand? Good."

Taking the awkward way Eisis began pumping Yuffie's chest as her cue, Tessa counted them, then after the fifth one she took a deep breath and expelled it into the ninja's lungs. Nothing happened. Again, five compressions were counted and another kiss of life was administered. There was no change, so Tessa felt Yuffie's neck for a pulse. Not finding one, the tired medic sat leaned back against the concrete pillar and cursed over the sounds of battle that continued to wage.

"Is she dead?" Eisis questioned in a small voice.

Cold eyes met concerned ones and a nonverbal answer was given. Tears welled up in both women's eyes, but only Eisis cried freely. Tessa just let out a long, deep breath and wiped at her eyes with a tattered sleeve.

"Are you sure you don't know what happened?" Tessa asked when she finally got a hold of herself. She didn't know why, but something told her to that there was more to the heroine's death than what met the eye. "Or is there something you forgot to tell me?"

A guilty look crossed Eisis's saddened face as she played with the hem of Irvine's jacket. Her eyes stayed on the floor, and the woman's confession was in a voice so soft that Tessa barely heard it. "He said that she would die after being bitten. He wanted to kill her, but I couldn't. People shouldn't have to die."

Not even caring who "he" was, Tessa grabbed Eisis by the shoulder and used what strength she had to shake the frightened woman. "What the fuck did you just say? She was bitten? By what?"

There was no need for a response. Yuffie did all the answering herself when she latched onto Tessa's arm with her still-warm hands. The teen screamed as she batted at the head of the now undead girl. Unable to fully defend herself and with Eisis seemingly paralysed by fear, Tessa pushed at Yuffie's forehead with her free hand while screaming as loudly as she could for help.

Her strength was waning and teeth that were white from judicious care crept up on her bit by bit. The others were proving useless and Tessa couldn't believe that she was going to die at the hands of Rot, not after everything she had endured. She gathered enough strength to summon a kick to the monster's ribs before finally giving in and letting go.

Taking advantage of the lack of resistance, Yuffie pounced on Tessa, nails biting into the fabric of her clothing, and was millimetres away from her first post-mortem meal when a hand grabbed her by the hair on her dead scalp and pulled her off. Then a large icicle magically appeared through her forehead and the ninja stopped moving.

Breathing heavily, Tessa lifted her eyes enough to see a smug Hunter looking her over. When his eyes reached the symbol on her shirt, though, they widened in shock. "Where did you obtain such garb, Antessence? You no longer attend Lotia Garden. Where is your hair?"

"Fuck… Off… Hunter…" the tired medic gasped.

Always a gentle man, Hunter shook off his apprehension and knelt beside Tessa. He took her left arm in his hands and lifted her off the ground. The youth slung said arm over his shoulder and supported his classmate as she fought to stay awake. Almost immediately afterward, Eisis repeated the latter half of the process with Tessa's right arm.

"It is pleasant to know that you remain in the same spirits that you always have," the boy who thought himself a man said. He turned to Eisis and gave a charming smile. "Instructor Trepe advised me to find the others and lead them back to the helicopter."

"You have a helicopter?" Eisis ignored the flirting and pressed Hunter for more information. "Where is it?"

"Not terribly far."

Tessa grumbled and leaned against Hunter for the additional support Eisis couldn't provide. "Then why the fuck… are we still here? Move your… asses, or I'll… kick them."

"Be quiet. No one is benefiting from your mouth," Hunter dared to tell the firebrand. "We shall arrive when we arrive."

They left the cover of the pillar and stepped directly into the fray. Yuffie remained behind. Fujin, Cloud, and Irvine had received reinforcements in their battle with Vincent in the form of a tall blonde woman. Red began to fill Tessa's eyes until she realized that the woman was Quistis. Then the anger began to melt away and was replaced once more with tiredness.

Her face as white as Hunter's hair, Tessa allowed herself to be led in the direction opposite the battle. There were no more gunshots, but the distinctive smell of magic residue replaced that of gunpowder.

---

Quistis held the vermilion stone in front of her face as she concentrated on her strongest attack. She hadn't used it since the final battle with Ultimecia. In fact, that exact same attack had nearly killed her when Griever used it.

"Move!" she shouted in a hoarse voice as the memories of her return to Shinra plagued her mind. Cid had landed on the outskirts of the town, where the people still lived. It had yet to be taken over by the power company. The pilot stayed with the aircraft while his passengers returned to the base.

It had been nerve-wracking to see the destruction that had occurred during her momentary absence. Walls were missing and bodies of men in blue uniforms were left broken and bleeding all over the place. Not even during the Sorceress War had the Instructor witnessed such destruction. She had been curious as to what could have done such things. Now she knew.

Irvine, sensing what was coming, grabbed Cloud by the collar of his jumpsuit and pulled him behind a concrete pillar not unlike the one Tessa had been hiding behind just moments before.

One of the things Quistis had insisted on was that, when they found their comrades, Hunter would lead them back to the helicopter if things went awry while the SeeD held off her the enemy. It seemed he had followed her instructions. If only she could get the white-haired youth to stop flirting every three seconds…

Either not hearing Quistis or simply ignoring the warning, Fujin, who had managed to slip on the uniform of one of the dead Shinra all around them, gripped the sword tighter and swiped at one of Vincent's legs, leaving a long gash just below the knee. Quistis knew that Fujin was incredibly skilled with her chakram, but the woman's ability to wield a sword was shocking. The way she held it, the style of attack, it was all so unusual. Perhaps the most surprising fact was that the girl was even using one at all. When they were younger, Seifer would often hand his gunblade over to Raijin when he and Squall traded punches. The first time he gave it to Fujin, though, she dropped it and ran off. Nobody knew why. If Seifer ever asked, and she told him, he never said a word. Raijin obviously didn't know, because he was even worse than Zell at keeping a secret.

The Instructor's focus began paying off as spinning white orbs enveloped the beast that was Vincent. While that happened, Vincent began gathering energy just he had when he attacked Tessa and Nemesis. Unbeknownst to any involved, Fujin had become trapped in the orbs as well.

Vincent began rising into the air, Fujin in tow. The hangar began to fade away as a black stone-like object began descending until it met its victims. Quistis had never noticed it before, but there was a faint scrawl written across the rock. She didn't have time to read it because the object began rapidly spinning. Ripples of energy washed over Fujin and Vincent, but passed over Quistis harmlessly. The speed in which the stone turned started to increase rapidly until it was little more than a blur.

Fujin didn't say a word. She didn't scream or hide her face. Her red eye just focused on the impending attack as she dropped the sword. The metal blade passed through the transparent shield effortlessly and was vaporized by the energy waves.

His attack finished, the transformed Vincent let his Giga Flare fly in the direction of the stone.

Quistis watched as the beam hit the stone. There was an explosion upon impact and black fragments of rock began shooting out in all directions. One hit the Instructor in the right leg and she buckled, losing control of her spell. She screamed as the concrete and cadavers returned to view. Her hands gripped the chunk of rock and extracted it from her leg. She quickly scanned it, making out one word before it vanished with the last remnants of the spell.

"Hyne!" she heard Irvine cry as she used the Enemy Skill Materia to activate her healing powers. A slight breeze blew around her leg, and the wound began sealing itself.

"What the fuck was that?" Cloud asked as he stepped into view. He had his sword resting on his shoulder calmly. Curious, Quistis looked around and saw that Vincent had returned to his human form, lying unconscious on the floor. Kneeling beside him and breathing heavily was Fujin.

"I… I don't know," Quistis admitted. She'd never had anything like that happen before. Her Blue Magic was supposed to be immune to the other spells. Shell and Reflect had never worked. The SeeD couldn't figure out what was going on.

"HOW?" Fujin screamed as she looked up at the others. Irvine and Quistis recoiled slightly at the scar, but Cloud didn't seem to be bothered by it. "HERE?"

"What is her problem?" Cloud asked nobody in particular.

Ignoring the mercenary, Quistis stood up. "We have a chopper that brought us here."

"You rode a motorcycle to the hangar?" Irvine asked with a confused face. "Why didn't I hear it then? There's nothing hotter than a chick on a bike."

"Idiot," Cloud muttered while shaking his head. "She was talking about a helicopter. How did I get stuck with the retards?"

The cowboy scratched his chin. "He can't be right. You got away on a helicopter? Why did you come back? You should've gone to that Garden that those two kids are always talking about."

"There's no Garden," Cloud added as he walked over to Vincent and nudged his comrade with his foot. The unconscious shooter grunted but didn't wake. "What dumbass told you that?"

Quistis shook her head. "That's not important right now. We need to get out of here. You two carry him. I'll lead us there."

"But…" Irvine interjected before being cut off by Fujin.

"LEAVE!" the short woman ordered. "NOW!"

Cloud grabbed Vincent under the arms while Irvine took the legs. Standing up with them, Fujin led the way out of the hangar. As she stepped over the prone body of yet another dead Shinra guard, Quistis remembered what she had read on that piece of stone before it disappeared:

Sorceress.

---

"Fuck, that ain't you, is it?" Cid asked Eisis when the young woman and Hunter reached the helicopter. Tessa, still slung between the two, looked up in surprise at the sound of the man's voice.

"Hell no! Why aren't you dead?" Tessa complained with a new fervour. "I thought we were the only ones to survive that airship crash."

"Who the fuck are you? Never mind, I wasn't even talking to you."

Eisis rolled her eyes and huffed. It would have been surprising to Irvine or Cloud, who spent a bit of time with her, but Tessa and Hunter didn't know how unusual it was. "I'm not her."

"Who are you not?" Hunter asked as he looked at the brunette woman over the top of Tessa's shaved head. "I do not understand."

"I don't, either."

Tessa, still unable to support her own weight, found her patience running thin. "I don't care who the fuck either of you are. Just get me into that damn thing before I kill you. Do not test me, because I'm not in the mood. Not move, damn it!"

"I like this bitch!" Cid laughed. The pilot jumped out of the chopper and helped the others load Tessa into the aircraft. When they finished, he looked Eisis over and adjusted the goggles in his blonde hair. "So, you're really not her? You look like she did. This is some pretty weird shit, let me tell you."

"Get this damn bird in the air," Tessa demanded. "I have had enough of this hellhole. Get this damn thing flying, NOW!"

Again, Cid laughed. "Listen, nobody tells me to do shit. We wait until I decide to go. That is, unless one of you can fly. Can you?"

There was a moment of silence as the three passengers eyeballed each other. Eisis had taken on her nervous persona once more and fidgeted, her fingers toying with the fringes of Irvine's jacket; the white-haired Hunter constantly shifted his eyes between Tessa and Eisis as though he were sizing them up; and Tessa just glared angrily at them all.

"Hmm, thought not."

"Fuck off, old man," Tessa spat angrily. "There has been too much shit for me to deal with. I don't care if I have to stand up and leave myself, but there is no way that I am staying here. So either you gas this up, or I walk."

"You cannot walk," Hunter commented innocently. "What would you do?"

"Hunter," Tessa warned, "shut the fuck up before I break your jaw."

"Umm… are you always like this?" Eisis inquired of Tessa in a small voice.

"Like what? Bitchy? Yes, I'm always bitchy because I'm a bitch. Does that bother you? Maybe I should tone down who I am for some stupid whore that doesn't even know my name. Yeah, I think I'll do that. Then Fire Cavern can freeze over and people will eat by shoving food up their asses. Whatever the hell your name is, you can fuck off, too."

"Shut your fucking trap, girl. This is my chopper, and I'm the only one that gets to order people around," Cid admonished as he pointed a finger in Tessa's face.

The angry teen swatted it away and gave the pilot the angriest look she could summon with what energy she had. "You do not own this thing. You stole it from the Shinra. I would've kicked your ass on that airship, but those retarded Shinra morons interfered. No one is going to save you this time."

"What the fuck are you talking about? I've never met you before. You're just some dumb bitch that the tanned bastard next to you showed up with. Personally, I could leave and not give a damn about whether or not you fuckers live die," Cid argued back.

They continued to throw threats, insults, and some rather colourful obscenities at each other for several minutes as Eisis looked on in horror. Hunter wasn't terribly surprised, though. He had memories of the girl doing much worse to people in much better physical condition. In fact, once at Lotia Garden, Tessa had actually attacked an Instructor for recommending that she learn how to operate a firearm instead of hand-to-hand combat because it was more of man thing. She hadn't learned anything yet, so, of course, she was put down rather easily, but her fighting spirit and argumentative nature became almost legendary at that point.

"Lucky devil, he's getting to sit in the back with two hot numbers," a male voice with a Galbadian accent announced. "Wish I were him."

"Shut up," the woman that had traveled the twists and turns of the Junon base with Hunter said jokingly. The young man twisted in his seat and saw five people approaching the aircraft. Obviously, Quistis and Irvine were among them, but there was also a familiar looking woman that he would later realize was Fujin. Then there was an unconscious man who was being carried and, last of all, was Cloud Strife. Hunter almost squealed in glee at the sight of the short Blonde, but managed to remain calm.

"We'd better go," Eisis advised Cid as the other group began hoisting Vincent into the helicopter in much the same way as Tessa had been.

"Ladies first," Irvine chuckled as he took off his hat and helped Quistis into the aircraft. He offered Fujin the same courtesy, but the shorter woman refused it and hoisted herself into it.

"We don't have all fucking day!" Cid shouted as he started the engine. Overhead, the blades began turning and Irvine actually had to duck to keep from being decapitated.

The cowboy was about to climb in as well, but Cloud shouldered his way past and sat next to Quistis.

"Hey," Irvine cried in outrage as he began to stand at full height in order to look imposing. "Who the hell do you…"

He never got the chance to finish his sentence. Irvine had momentarily forgotten about the blades swirling viciously over his head and, as a result, lost it. The skull fell to the ground with his body, the thud of the impact drowned out by the engine of the helicopter. At first, everyone just sat around in shock and looked at the place where the marksman had stood just seconds before. Then Quistis screamed.

As the SeeD cried out for the loss of her love, Cloud closed the door and Tessa screamed vulgarly at Cid to take off. The pilot replied just as obscenely and the chopper began to leave the ground. Quistis eventually stopped screaming and settled for burying her face into the shoulder of the nearest person and just sobbing. All Cloud could do was sit there and let her ruin his jumpsuit.

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A/N: Did you like it? Definitely the longest chapter I've written for this fic yet. For those wondering, I stole the idea for Irvine's death from a script I read for the original Dawn of the Dead. I've never actually seen the movie (nobody I know has it and it's never on network television, which is all my antenna will pick up), but that's supposed to be how one of the "heroes" of the movie bites the bullet. As for actually killing the cowboy and the ninja, I switched back and forth between them both living and just Yuffie dying. It never actually occurred to me to kill another of the Orphanage Gang, as Zell put it, until I actually came to that point.

Anyway, whatever. Let's just say that nobody dies in the next chapter so that I can start on it.


	69. Chapter 65

Chapter Sixty-Five:

A/N: Last chapter, filled with all the angsty goodness you could ever want, with a little violence and the vulgarity that everyone loves.

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It had been a quiet ride.

Most of the riders of the helicopter had either cried themselves to sleep or succumbed to their exhaustion. The aircab descended, seemingly in tandem with its conscious occupants. A random curse escaped Cid's lips as he corrected a trivial mistake in the landing procedure. Nobody batted an eye at the vulgarity. They were either too used to it or too absorbed in their own thoughts. For a few, it was both.

Edea Kramer ran Trabia Garden, which was formerly known as Balamb Garden. She welcomed the helicopter with a loud thump and a growing crowd. Somehow, most of the Garden's population had learned of the late night arrival. Among the group were students, SeeDs, and faculty.

Inside the aircraft, the group was either jolted awake or back to their senses as they touched down. They departed one by one and looked at the welcoming party in confusion.

Tessa was too conflicted to decide if she was outraged by the behaviour of her hosts. Thoughts swirled around her mind with the intensity of a hurricane. She had played both roles in the disaster that had begun decimating the world's population. Victim and villain, thousands had died because of her without staying dead. She had killed and even been killed herself. Scientists and executives had created her. They experimented on her. As a result, she was responsible for the death and resurrection of untold numbers of human beings. Bodies had been drained of life at her hands to save her own skin. Heroes had expired, memories were revealed as lies. She had even allowed herself to love, only to lose it at the hands of a psychotic assassin driven by a twisted need for vengeance.

A hand was placed reassuringly on the teen's shoulder as she listened to a drowsy Quistis explain what had happened just hours before. Tessa looked to see that it belonged to the jumpy Eisis who seemed unsure of herself even then. The surlier of the two attempted to read beyond the apprehensive exterior of the other. It didn't work.

"My children," Edea spoke in a softly alluring voice. "You need not be afraid now. There are few things that I can promise you, but safety is one. No harm will befall you here.

While the others took what relief they could from the words, two lost souls remained cynical. Cloud had the experience to know that no place was safe, and Fujin was constantly aware of Shinra's obsession with her. However, neither shared their doubts with the rest of the party.

"Edea? Sorceress Edea?" the spiky haired swordsman wondered aloud from his on the other side of Tessa. The teenager looked at him with tired eyes. The only sleep she had gotten in the past two days had been induced by drugs.

"Yes?" the Headmistress turned her head in Cloud's direction, but her eyes rested on Tessa. "What concerns you?"

He gripped the handle of his sword, but didn't draw it. The others on the heliport, known as the Quad during its Balamb years, waited expectantly for his response. "What is going on? Shinra I get, but what could have driven Vincent to transform? He hadn't done it since Sephiroth. You're a Sorceress, so you know things. I want answers!"

Vincent groaned while Cid supported him, but the former Turk didn't say anything.

"I cannot tell you what is not said," the woman replied evasively. Tessa raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. If the Sorceress wouldn't answer someone like Cloud Strife, why would she talk to a nobody like her?

Deciding she needed to get away from the gawkers, Tessa pushed Eisis's hand away and stormed past Edea and Quistis without a word. At first, they weren't willing to move for the Fury, but Tessa persuaded them with a few well-placed threats and a follow-up or two.

"Why the fuck does it even matter?" she raged when she finally made it into the safety of the Garden itself. None of the onlookers had bothered to follow her, and the latecomers ignored her. It was a good thing that the Garden uniforms had only the most minimal of variations. It never occurred to anyone to check the credibility of her outfit. "They're dead, we're not. This time I know what's going on."

She knew that she was lying to herself, though. If anything, Tessa knew even less than did way back on that in the cafeteria when a Rot attacked her for the first time. Shinra would undoubtedly try to get her back, too, since they lost their precious Alex all over again. Really, she wondered how such an inept corporation managed to maintain such a stranglehold on half the world.

"Antessence."

It was a voice she hadn't wanted to hear. However, when she turned around, Tessa's face conveyed hurt rather than anger. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Are you well? You left so suddenly," the young man inquired as he walked up to her and took one of her hands in his. She didn't jerk away or strike him, too exhausted mentally to even register the significance of the gesture. "What happened to you at Shinra?"

Tessa took that opportunity to finally break down as she pulled him close, wrapping her free arm around his neck and crying into his shoulder. Hot tears rolled down her face and stained the shoulder of his shirt. The young man shifted his hand just enough to intertwine their fingers while rubbing the small of her back in circular motions with his other hand. Never had he imagined that such an event would take place when he grew up with her.

"Hunter…" she said into the fabric of his shirt a few minutes later.

"Yes?" he asked. She looked up at him with puffy eyes and again he asked himself what had happened to her. "I wish to help you in any way that I can, my lady."

"For starters," she grated in a stronger voice, "you can let go of my hand."

She began squeezing his hand tightly, crushing the digits in her grip. After pulling free, Hunter looked at her with eyes full of shock and confusion.

With more energy than she thought she had, Tessa managed a roundhouse kick to the side of his head, slamming him into some people who had decided to return to their dorms after witnessing the midnight arrival. They quickly backed away from the impending doom and looked on with a sort of morbid curiousness. It never occurred to them to help the boy.

"If you ever touch me again," she warned as she grabbed a handful of his pallid hair and jerked his head back to expose his neck, "I will not hesitate to kill you. I do not need a man, and especially not you!"

Then she chopped him in the throat with her other hand and kicked him to the floor.

He coughed and rubbed his neck. How had she changed gears so quickly?

"One more thing," the woman hissed as she loomed over him. The look in her eye gave him a feeling he had never experienced where Tessa was concerned: fear. "Next time you see me, I won't be so nice. Now fuck off, Hunter. Fuck off, and don't ever speak to me again."

---

A thin trail of smoke rose into the air with a pungent odour in accompaniment. Seconds later, it was doused with an even larger plume of smoke from an exhaling young woman.

Tessa had managed to find someone willing to let her bum a cigarette. That same person had also told her about the bar. It was in the former parking garage, and only SeeDs of age were allowed to use it. Of course, Tessa didn't care about that last part. She just wanted some way to forget the day she had lived through.

"Sorry, SeeDs only," a tall man, with thick muscles, told the teenager when she arrived and opened the door to the bar. "You're out past curfew, anyway."

"How do you know that I'm not a SeeD?" she growled as she attempted to push past him. The man grabbed her shirt, but at that action, she put out her cigarette on the back of his hand. The SeeD yelped and let her go. "Let me in."

"No," the bouncer hissed as he waved his hand, a circular burn evident. "And if you do anything like that again, you're going to need Dr. Welsh."

"Hey, man, she's cool," another man in a SeeD uniform belched as he slithered out into the hallway. He was clearly drunk. "Come on in, baby. This place needs some life."

Smiling in victory at the bouncer, Tessa walked past him and into the booze lounge. It didn't look like it had been remodelled to be a bar. There were still car parts and oil stains all over the floor, and various tools hung on hooks that were set into the walls. However, there were some touches so that the drinkers could be more comfortable. Various wooden tables with folding chairs were spread out in the large space, and by the large door that would have once opened for the vehicles to enter and exit was a stage.

When she would talk to Aili, before everything went wrong, Tessa's friend would tell her of the adventures they had on the floating Garden. There had been a stage at the Quad, but it was destroyed when the school crashed into Fisherman's Horizon. Now, she guessed that the stage had been repaired.

Sitting on a stool with a guitar was a familiar looking youth. His fingers toyed with the metallic strings, and a soothing melody spilled out as a result. A smirked crossed Tessa's face when she realized that it was the same man she had seen teaching Selphie how to play that very first day at Balamb Garden. How long ago it seemed. She also wondered how he had gone from Balamb to Trabia, anyhow.

"Hey, are you going to order something?" a harsh female voice called out. Tessa jumped before looking in the direction of the sound. There was a bar made of polished wood that the medic couldn't identify, and five wooden stools similar, similar in design to the guitar player's, were lined up in front of it. Only one was empty.

Tessa took the remaining seat and asked for the hardest drink available. The bartender grabbed a bottle under the varnished counter, as well as a shot glass. She poured a small amount of amber liquid into the glass and slid it in front of the girl. "That'll be ten Gil."

"Put it on my tab, Verla," the man sitting next to Tessa slurred. She took the drink in her hand and downed it. It burned long after it was gone.a

"Another," she demanded as she slammed the glass on the table. The bartender gave her a look but did as ordered.

"You're not even going to thank me?" the man asked after Tessa took the second shot. She coughed and looked over at him. He was wearing a SeeD uniform, but it was heavily decorated, an indication of high status amongst the Garden brass.

She didn't even care anymore. Tessa was fed up with people wanting things from her. So in response to his request, Tessa set a foot on the side of the seat of his stool and pushed, knocking it over and the man into the guy sitting next to him. The disturbed drinker started shouting, but a look from Tessa quieted him down.

"I don't take that kind of crap in my establishment," the bartender warned Tessa.

"It's okay," the man that had crashed to the floor announced as he pulled himself up with the help of the counter. "You know I like 'em feisty."

"I know you can be an idiot when you want," Verla told him. "That doesn't change the fact that I want her out of here if that happens again."

"Fuck you all," Tessa said through clenched teeth. "I'm sitting right here."

"Let's get out of here," the man offered as he slung an arm around Tessa's shoulder. The stench of alcohol on his breath alone could have intoxicated someone. For a reason she would never be able to explain, she didn't push him away. "I've got better stuff than this piss in my room. Care to join me?"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Verla."

"Yes."

The last one was Tessa. She stood, the two shots of whatever she drank already affecting her tired mind and body. There was also another craving of nicotine.

"Yes what?" the drunken man asked her with a confused look in his eyes. Clearly, he had already forgotten his invitation.

"I'll go back to your room, dumbass. Now let's get going before I change my mind and get offensive. You wouldn't like me when I'm offensive. Hell, you won't like me when you're sober," Tessa told him as she grabbed the back of his shirt and began hauling him away from the bar. She ignored the looks she received from Verla and the other customers as they left together.

The guitar never stopped being played.

---

"Ow…" Tessa groaned when she awoke. It was incredibly fuzzy, but she remembered some of what had happened the night before. There was a lot of alcohol.

What had awoken her was the sound of something knocking against wood. She looked to her left and saw the naked back of a man. Immediately, a feeling of disgust and self-loathing began to fill the teen as she covered her face and tried to block out the sounds that began rushing into her senses. Her head was beginning to ache painfully, but she couldn't remember if it was from a headboard or a hangover.

There was so much that she feeling in that moment. She hated herself. Antessence Matleo neither wanted nor needed a man in her life, yet here she was with one at her side. After the rape, the medic had promised herself that she would never have anything to do with someone of the male gender.

"But you weren't raped."

"What?"

Tessa looked over at the man, but he didn't stir. He hadn't spoken to her. So what had?

"It's me, stupid. Surely, you haven't forgotten me. Galbadia City, remember? Holt, Liana, and that ass Macone? Ringing any bells?"

A brunette woman stepped into Tessa field of vision. The brown locks of hair hung around her shoulders and her face was screwed up into smirk. Tessa hadn't seen her since her "experience" at Shinra, when she had died. However, instead of being transparent, this time she was completely opaque.

"What are you doing here? You're dead. You're supposed to be in that field or wherever the hell I was."

"The Farplane? We go there when we die, but we don't stay there forever. Just as long as there is someone alive who won't let us go. After they do, when we're finally free, we return to the Lifestream."

"What the fuck are you talking about? You're not real. I'm just suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I'm just crazy. Go away now."

"Only the sane question their sanity. Nope, I'm really here, but only you can see me. Death is funny like that. See, we can choose who sees us, and I chose you."

The knocking sound continued, but at an increased rate. It was almost like there was a person behind it: an impatient person.

"You might want to get that. It's pretty important."

"The door?" Tessa whispered as she looked through the doorway of the bedroom and into the living room of the Garden dorm. When she looked back, her visitor was gone.

Cautiously, Tessa grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped herself in it, feeling a sudden chill. She left the bedroom without sparing a glance at its other occupant.

Ignoring the lavish furnishings, she made her way straight to the door. The knocking had transformed into pounding. Again, Tessa was standing in front of a door, unsure of just who or what was on the other side. Her otherworldly visitor told her that it was important. She didn't like that she believed something she had imagined, but she needed to stop the noise. It was making her headache even worse.

"What the fuck do you want?" the medic barked. During her discussion with the poltergeist, the hangover had completely disappeared. Now it was back in full force.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was my friend Nida's room."

Tessa was stunned to silence. It wasn't possible. The woman before her wasn't supposed to be alive. Just like so many others, she was left behind in Galbadia City. She stayed with Phelan. It wasn't possible.

"Hey," the woman said as she began to recognize whom she was speaking to. "Don't I know you?"

"No."

Her head was pounding. Tessa backed away, one hand holding up the blanket and the other on the handle of the door in preparation of slamming it.

The woman's eyes widened as she finally realized just who Tessa was. "You…"

"No!" Tessa screamed as she moved to slam the door, but it the other woman stuck her foot in the frame and it bounced open. "Get out! This isn't happening to me. You're not here. You're not here!"

"What are you talking about? Is Nida here or not? Nida!"

A loud cry of frustration came from Tessa as she made to run for, but she tripped on her own feet and crashed onto the floor. It was obvious that some of her inebriation and weakness from the night before had remained.

"Please don't be here. Please, you can't be. It's supposed to be over. I'm safe now. Please don't," the girl cried from the floor as she curled into a ball and began crying, all of what had happened to her over the past few weeks finally washing over her. "Please, you can't."

"What's going on?" a masculine voice asked groggily. The man from the bed walked into the room, wiping some drool from his face. He saw Tessa lying on the floor then looked over to the other woman. "Xu? What are you doing here? What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" the SeeD exclaimed as she looked from her friend to her former charge. "She answered the door when you wouldn't. What the hell happened here? Why is she here?"

"Please," Tessa whispered from the floor as she held her hands over her face. "Please…"

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_A/N: There we have it, the "end" of _Resurrection_. There's still an epilogue, but it's going to be like the prologue in that it won't have Tessa in it._


	70. Epilogue

Epilogue

Scarlet woke up in a pile of broken lumber and computer parts. Her body was covered with bruises and plaster. Her head hadn't hurt this much since the destruction of her giant robot back in Midgar when she and that fool Heidegger had used to fight Avalanche on the day Omega Weapon destroyed the Midgar HQ and almost killed President Rufus. She had inherited his title for the time he would be out, but her duties hadn't really changed. Scarlet had all but run the company under Rufus's father. He was too busy chasing after Sephiroth and the Promised Land to deal with actually running the company, so she had to do it. Palmer and Heidegger were too busy sucking up to help her.

"Nice to see that you're finally awake."

There was the whirring of an electric motor. One blonde president looked up and into the face of another. He had changed since the explosion, become crueller, shrewder. Sure, he put on a good act during the incident with the Sephiroth remnants. That didn't change his Shinra nature, though. The man was almost as vicious as the woman who stood in for him while he recovered from his many injuries.

"They escaped, you know," Rufus commented as he rolled closer to Scarlet while the woman picked herself up from the ruined remains of a random workstation. "I'm amazed that you aren't harmed. A fall like that would kill lesser men… or women."

"Good thing I'm better than all of them, isn't it?" the blonde woman remarked before following up with one of her trademark chuckles. After resuming control, though, the executive immediately went into damage control mode. "I must apologize, though, Sir. I can assure you that my failure will not be repeated. Reparations will be made. The experiments will be recovered: all of them."

"Don't worry about it," Rufus told her. A hand bearing the scars of many burns slithered forward on an armrest and pushed one button on a panel of many. "I am coming back to head the corporation. I wish to thank you for all that you have done for me."

"It's not necessary, sir."

A third set of feet came into the room. Scarlet turned her head and saw Reno. He had a small box in one hand and a standard issue combat rod in the other. "Ready, Boss?"

"Yes. Give it to her."

Most women would have flinched when they saw Reno step in their direction, but Scarlet was feeling an arrogant sense of confidence and just stared him down. As she had been expecting, he handed her the box. It was made of an expensive material, probably the pelt of some rare and exotic monster. Most likely, it housed some form of jewellery. She didn't hesitate to open it.

Inside was a necklace with one of the biggest sapphires that Scarlet had ever seen, and she'd seen a lot.

"Sir, you didn't have to…" the usually ruthless aggressor gasped at the gesture.

"Nonsense, I insist. It's one of our secret Materia, and I had it cut just for you. Reno, help her put it on," Rufus ordered. The Turk obeyed without a word. He took the box from Scarlet and removed the necklace, the rod never leaving his hand. Despite her best efforts, she shivered at the feel of cool metal against her skin as the necklace found its way around her neck.

"Thank you, sir," Scarlet said with a small smile as she handled the Materia with her fingers. "May I ask what kind of Materia it is?"

"No."

A nod from Rufus was all Reno needed to strike, his combat rod colliding with the back of Scarlet's head. The woman fell back to the floor. Still conscious, she looked up in confusion. Rufus rolled closer and looked down on her.

"I hope you didn't forget. We have cameras set up all over this facility, Sorceress."

Realization hit the woman just moments before Reno did. The redhead then took the opportunity to pick her up and sling her across his shoulder. "Where do you want her, Boss?"

"Take her to Odine's lab. I knew hiring him would be useful eventually."

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A/N: Yes, I'm including the events of Advent Children. The timing has just been changed.


	71. Author notes

Author's Notes and Thanks:

I have enjoyed writing this, believe it or not. Resurrection began in November of 2005 as a much different story. It was to be more about zombies and surviving in a world taken over by them than the twisted thing it has become. Also, Tessa was supposed to be more like Rinoa (minus the whole Sorceress thing), a strong woman without being forceful or obnoxious. Yeah. That worked out well.

This wasn't supposed to be as laden down with OCs as it was, with only Tessa and Hunter taking centre stage in addition to the pre-existing FFVIII cast. I believe it was said before, but Adette was supposed to die in the sewers and Xu would be the comatose girl. The sharpshooter was just a soulless name. Never did I believe that she would take such an important role when I wrote her in that day that Tessa and Phelan went to Cid's office.

As for Hunter, the self-styled playboy with a dislike of contractions (though I slipped a few times…) was supposed to be a love interest for Tessa. Now I see that that'll never happen. However, his role in the sequel will be much more than someone around just to be yelled and screamed at by Tessa. The sequel, Redemption, will show him in a far different light with a much more hands on involvement with the plot. His role as a clone of Sephiroth will be a big deal, too. Not exactly Advent Children territory, but there will be some similar areas. His resemblances to Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo just simply cannot be overlooked.

What was probably the most controversial part of this fic was Tessa's rape. Why the memory was implanted into Tessa's brain hasn't been explained yet (it will be, though), but it definitely went a long way in explaining her behaviour. The way she would act around any man, her problems with authority, and the need to be in control all the time is wrapped together in a messy, unresolved little package.

The other major controversy was probably my readiness and willingness to kill off the heroes. None of them really deserved to die (except maybe for Xu, the lucky bitch). One might argue Selphie did after her insane attack back in Chapter 2, but they did make up. Mainly, I did it because it's not just a FFVIII fic it's also a zombie fic. People die in zombie movies. That's just the way things go. How I chose my victims was actually pretty random. The only ones that I had planned on keeping were Hunter and Quistis. Yeah, I was going to kill off Tessa, but there just seemed too many ways to torture her if I let her live.

The introduction of FFVII was only planned as far as Shinra was concerned. Elena was chosen to be the one sent after Tessa because she was always the most gung-ho about being a Turk. As for her history, I needed something to help make her obsession with Tessa make just a little more sense. Plus, the hero always needs an arch nemesis to do battle with.

One question that had to have been very prevalent in the minds of you, my readers, is probably "why?" Why did I make the decisions I did? A major one was probably the relationship between Tessa and Adette. Tessa had claimed many times that she hated men, but wasn't a lesbian. So when she began to develop feelings, she would know how to act. Her clumsiness and reluctance to admit what was going on in her mind was just something to humanize her. Also, it wasn't just something I pulled out of nowhere like I did with Irvine and Quistis. If one were to look back, they would see Tessa and Adette growing closer.

Quistis and Irvine, though, was definitely not planned. I had just writer's block and began looking back at older chapters to see if there was anything that I could work with. Then, low and behold, I came across the whole Selphie jealousy thing and figured that it would make for great reading if I actually put a face to the Messenger Girl's suspicions. I chose Quistis mainly because I felt ending up alone in a game where the theme was "love" ripped her off.

Tessa, though, she definitely did not end up where I had originally wanted her. Some writers may not have experienced this, but she just kind of evolved on her own. She snuck up on me. Of course, there was no way someone like Tessa could be a Mary Sue, though. She had to be broken inside, lonely. To cover it, she would boast and act like she didn't need anyone or anything to complete her life. Her arrogance would also be her downfall. An anti-hero, I'm tempted to say. She would threaten to beat up anyone who so much as looked at her funny, but if you'll notice, she lost every fight she was in. Elena beat her all four times, she knocked out in the fight between Nemesis and Vincent, and Scarlet definitely kicked her ass. All of that would add to her character and help shape how she would behave in the (unplanned) sequel.

Anyone who read the preview of Redemption knows that Tessa will end up pregnant, and they probably know that Nida's the father from the drunken one night stand. (Don't they all start off like that?) Some things that will arise as a result of that will be an increase in Tessa's already obvious instability. She'll do things that she didn't do before, and things that she knows she shouldn't do.

Religion didn't play a major part in this fic, with the exceptions of Tessa spouting off about her disbelief in anything but herself and her need to call Hyne a bitch. The reason I'm mentioning it now is because it will play a much larger role in the next fic. The world will essentially be divided in two, the FFVII half and the FFVIII half. Those who come from the former will follow the teachings of Soa, and the latter the beliefs of Hyne. Everyone knows Hyne, I should hope. Soa might be a little different. Anyone who has played Legend of Dragoon should probably know the legend of Soa and the Tree of Life. That's what I'll be doing here, legends of dragoons and all. There will be a lot of tension between the two groups, with Tessa managing to piss off both in almost every way possible.

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I would like to thank the following reviewers who either stuck with me all the way through, joined me later in the fic, or gave me the boost I needed to finally get this done:

Gullwing Yunie you were my first ever reviewer. If it hadn't been for you, I definitely would have given up.

Sorceress Eternity another one of the "odd" writers who has unusual plots. Your ability to see what I was going for astounds me.

DarklightZERO I loved your threats to send Stubbs after me, but you disappeared. Did this go in a direction you weren't comfortable with? Oh well, thanks for reading what you did.

Rakunya a story tease who delivered each review with unabashed praise and fed my bloated ego with no remorse. This guy can really write. Check out his stuff.

Tabansi232 the rising star of the SI world, and the first person to follow both of my regular fics. I get onto my hands and knees and kiss your feet, for I am not worthy. I recommend everyone read her piece of genius known as Flipped-Up Reality.

Baron von Ludwig owner of the longest, and possibly best, review I ever got. I took your advice to heart, and am proud to admit that I did so. The improvements in my writing style owe a lot to you.

_Thank you to anyone I may have left off, and to those who read but didn't review. Please join me on _Redemption_, but until then, check out TCBT in the FFIX section. It's a different genre, but the quality is still great._


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